Police boarded a plane and escorted a man onto the Tarmac after flight attendants found him smoking in the toilets. The man was removed in front of passengers after the Ryanair flight from Palma landed in the UK.
The passenger was escorted to the ground by two police officers before the rest of the passengers were told they were free to leave the plane.
One passenger told the Manchester Evening News: "It was literally about 20 minutes after take-off. One of the flight attendants could smell smoke coming from the toilet. They took all his details and then announced it to the whole plane.
"I was really pleased because they'd named and shamed the person. If you're willing to have a smoke and put 180 souls on board lives at risk, then you should be named and shamed."
He said the man looked 'relatively calm' but that the rest of the flight had been left 'on edge'. "There were a few people not happy on that plane, I'll tell you," he said, adding that there were a number of families on the aircraft.
"I was with my two daughters who are seven and ten," he said. "They were pretty frightened."
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "The crew of this flight from Palma to Manchester (May 30) called ahead for police assistance after a passenger was found smoking onboard.
"The passenger was removed from the aircraft by local police upon landing at Manchester Airport." It's understood the passenger was not arrested as Ryanair did not pursue prosecution.
