A man was asked to leave a Ryanair aircraft at Cork Airport this afternoon after he was deemed too drunk to fly, writes Eoin English of the Irish Examiner.

Cabin crew on Ryanair flight FR9943, which was bound for Lanzarote, asked the man to leave the aircraft shortly after he took his seat.

A spokesman for the airport said the flight crew felt the risk to the safety of the passengers during what would be a four-hour flight was too great to let the man remain on board.

It is understood he left the aircraft without incident.

The aircraft took off with the remaining passengers just before 2.45pm - about 18-minutes later than scheduled.

A statement from Ryanair said: “The crew of this flight from Cork to Lanzarote (29 Sept) requested police assistance after a passenger became disruptive prior to take-off.

"The aircraft returned to stand and police removed and detained this individual, before the flight departed. We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority.

"This is now a matter for local police.”