Ryanair says it apologised to passenger who was victim of racism
Budget airline Ryanair has issued a statement today saying it apologised to the victim of racist abuse on one of its flights.
Video footage emerged of passenger Delsie Gayle being called an “ugly black b******” by fellow passenger David Mesher on a flight to Barcelona last Friday.
In its statement Ryanair said it only became aware the video on Saturday 20 October and reported the incident to Essex Police on the morning of 21 October.
The airline says it contacted the victim of the abuse at 11am on Sunday morning apologising for what happened and asking if she wanted to discuss the matter further.
Speaking to ITV Gayle said: "I feel very low. He pays his fare, I pay mine. So why did he abuse me for that? Because of the colour of my skin.”
Her daughter, Carol, who was also on the flight, said: “He should have been moved or taken off the plane and nothing was done.
"I know if that was a black person racially abusing an elderly woman the police would have been involved. It would have been a different matter.
"Nobody has apologised. We've not had nothing. We just want an open apology from Ryanair.”
Ryanair said its cabin crew were aware that an argument had taken place but were not aware of the racist language used.
It said that Gayle was moved to sit with her daughter as a way of defusing the incident.
Ryanair's Robin Kiely said: "We again extend our very sincere apologies to this passenger for the regrettable, and unacceptable remarks that were made to her by an adjacent passenger, and we believe that by reporting this matter immediately to the Essex Police and by apologising in writing to this customer early on Sunday morning, Ryanair treated it with the urgency and seriousness it warranted."
Mesher, from Birmingham, told ITV that he was “not a racist person” and it was “just a fit of temper at the time.”
He apologised to Gayle who said she did not accept his apology.