The Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking twelve months’ imprisonment and fines of €5,700 for the man who was involved in a serious altercation at Palma Airport in September 2023 when he was unable to board a flight bound for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The defendant, a Moroccan national, attacked staff from Ryanair and caused damage to the furnishings in Terminal C. The scene was recorded by dozens of witnesses on their mobile phones.
The trial for these events is scheduled to take place in a criminal court in Palma. In addition to the prison sentence and fines, the man faces payment of civil liability of €6,248 claimed by AENA.
The events, as described by the Prosecution in its provisional conclusions, to which Ultima Hora has had access, took place at around 5.50 am.
The airline staff told him he could not board given his aggressive behaviour. At that moment, the man, aged 30, violently ripped off his T-shirt and began to scream. Shortly afterwards he lunged at a female staff member. A colleague stepped in to defend her and the defendant landed a hard punch to his face. The blow left him dazed and he had to take refuge behind a pillar, whilst the North African man remained unchallenged, continuing to threaten anyone in his path.
Moments later, he began throwing chairs, the computer tower, the printer and several monitors. He also struck the door leading to the boarding area and the check-in counters. He ended up in the ladies’ toilet, smashing the mirror and the soap dish. Airport authority AENA estimated the damage at €6,248.
Several officers from the Guardia Civil and the National Police, as well as security guards, arrived at the scene and managed to arrest the young Moroccan man, though not without difficulty due to his agitated state.
Once arrested, he threatened the officers with death and, once in the cells, he broke the lock on the cell where he was being held. The Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of committing crimes of criminal damage, minor bodily harm and making threats.
In February, the UGT trade union launched a campaign at Balearic airports, Palma, Ibiza and Minorca, to raise awareness of passenger assaults on airline employees so that they can ‘go to work without being beaten up’. The head of the UGT’s aviation sector in the Balearics, José Negreira, said that they had already been planning this campaign, but the recent assault on a Ryanair crew member by a passenger over an argument about luggage has forced them to bring it forward because ‘it is starting to become very serious’.
The initiative kicked off at Palma airport with the distribution of leaflets to passengers and airlines. The trade unionist highlighted the ‘very good’ reception the campaign has received, although he stressed that it is ‘sad’ that they have to intervene for these reasons. The leaflets explain that employees are there to ‘do their job’ and that they ‘do not decide’ whether airlines choose to charge for luggage.