Ryanair removed two passengers from a flight at Madrid-Barajas after they filmed a dispute between airline staff and another traveller over the size of hand luggage, according to the passengers involved. The pair say they were not told which rule they had broken and have filed complaints with both the airline and airport operator Aena.
The incident took place on 2 July at gate C45 after the pair had already cleared document checks and boarding control. They say they were recording themselves while commenting on the argument when a Ryanair employee tried to take the phone from one of them, then barred their access to the aircraft and told them they could not board because they had been filming.
The case has drawn wide attention online after videos posted by the passengers gathered several million views across social media. It has also been reported in Greece, where several media outlets covered the incident.
According to the passengers, the sequence of events began when they saw a discussion between a female passenger and Ryanair staff over the dimensions of a cabin bag. They say they filmed the exchange on their phone and, in their view, the worker attempted to grab the device.
After they challenged that action, they say the same employee closed the boarding gate to them. The pair claim the gate reopened briefly to let the last passenger in line through and that they used that moment to walk onto the jet bridge.
They add that another employee then held the woman’s backpack to stop her moving forward, although both passengers eventually reached the aircraft. Once on board, they sat in a row with empty seats after finding that the seats assigned to them were occupied, they said.
The pair say no crew member told them there was a problem until minutes later, when they were called over the public address system and escorted off the plane by Civil Guard officers at Ryanair’s request. They say the Argentine couple who had earlier argued over the luggage was also removed.
The passengers say they never received a written explanation for the decision. They have asked Aena to preserve security camera footage from the boarding gate, the jet bridge and the airline counter, and say the airport operator has confirmed receipt of the request.
The article says the passengers also filed formal complaints with Ryanair and Aena. It did not include a response from either organisation.
The case comes as Ryanair remains under scrutiny in Spain over passenger handling and boarding disputes. The airline has previously taken legal action in other cases involving disruptive travellers, highlighting the tensions that can arise when cabin baggage rules are enforced at the gate.
In this case, the passengers argue that filming a dispute should not have led to removal from the flight. Their account, if accurate, raises questions about where airline staff draw the line between customer behaviour, passenger safety and the right to record incidents in a busy airport terminal.
