Ryanair passenger jailed after his abuse forced pilot to abort landing leaving holidaymakers terrified

Alice Tomlinson
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:35:43 +0000

A Ryanair passenger has been jailed after his abuse forced a pilot to abort landing which left holidaymakers on the flight terrified.

Stephen Blofield, 61, from Haverfordwest has been sentenced to 10 months behind bars following his aggressive and intoxicated conduct aboard a Ryanair service travelling from Krakow to Bristol.

He appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday, where Judge Euan Ambrose determined that imprisonment was the sole appropriate response to his actions.

The incident occurred on November 11 last year, when Blofield's behaviour became so disruptive that both cabin crew and fellow travellers feared for their wellbeing.

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Judge Ambrose told the defendant: "This is a case where only a custodial sentence can be justified.

"It is so serious that no other form of sentence would be appropriate."

Blofield had previously admitted to four separate charges at North Somerset Magistrates Court.

During the flight, Blofield screamed at his fellow passengers: "I'm savage, I drink JD."

When cabin crew members attempted to intervene and requested he settle down, he responded: "You can't tell me what to do, I'm English."

The Boeing 737 was making its final descent towards Bristol Airport when Blofield's conduct escalated dramatically.

He refused to remain in his seat or secure his seatbelt despite repeated instructions, forcing the captain to abandon the initial landing approach.

Passengers seated in his vicinity were visibly frightened by his volatile behaviour, with several recording the disturbance on their mobile phones.

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The court heard that Blofield directed abuse at Polish staff members on board the aircraft, which was operated by Buzz, the Polish arm of Ryanair.

Blofield had begun consuming double measures of alcohol at Krakow airport before boarding, having lost his medication for back pain, depression and anxiety prior to his trip to Poland.

His defence barrister, Sam Louwers, explained that Blofield had travelled to the country to trace his family roots and described his client's decision to use alcohol to settle his nerves as "incredibly foolish".

Prosecuting barrister, Ian Fenny, relayed testimony from the principal police officer handling the case, who characterised Blofield's conduct as "effectively the worst he had to endure" throughout two decades of service.

Mr Louwers told the court that his client retained no memory of the incident.

He continued by saying he was deeply troubled after viewing footage of his own behaviour.

Following the aircraft's eventual touchdown at Bristol Airport, officers boarded to detain Blofield and discovered him in a state that was drunk, aggressive and confrontational, according to prosecutor Ian Fenny.

During the arrest, he came close to striking a passenger sitting nearby whilst being placed in handcuffs.

His behaviour was deemed so alarming and potentially hazardous that authorities were compelled to use an ambulift, equipment typically reserved for passengers with disabilities, to remove him from the aircraft.

The charges against Blofield included being intoxicated on an aircraft, threatening and abusive conduct towards crew members, disregarding lawful commands from the pilot, and using language likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

Jade Kirwan, Ryanair's Communications Director, said: "We welcome the Bristol Crown Court’s conviction of this unruly passenger whose inexcusable behaviour disrupted a flight from Krakow to Bristol in November 2025.

"This demonstrates just one of the many consequences (including travel bans and offload fines) that passengers who disrupt flights will face as part of Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy.

"We hope this conviction will further deter disruptive behaviour on flights so that both passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment.”

Blofield was also ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge and the court noted his extensive prior criminal record.