‘He nearly got charged for smoking’ was how the local press greeted the new of the man arrested by the police for smoking during the Thessaloniki to Chania Ryanair flight on 9 August.
The offender who risked the safety of his fellow passengers denied in court that he had anything to do with smoking during the flight. He claimed that he had never smoked in his life and that he was a victim of mistaken identity. The case was dropped on the grounds of insufficient evidence to prosecute and the man was released with no charges.
Ryanair failed to submit a written report of the incident to the court.
Unruly behaviour on board a plane – an offense that carries a twelve month prison sentence – is not unusual for the summer months in Chania. Chania airport authority escorts several passengers every year off the plane for being drunk and disorderly or for threatening behaviour towards other passengers. The authority made no comment on the number of the cases that result in convictions.
