Dublin-bound Ryanair flight forced to turn back after passenger claims she is being followed

A Ryanair flight bound for Dublin was forced to make an emergency U-turn back to Porto following an unusual incident involving a passenger who claimed she was being stalked by three people on board.

The 48-year-old Brazilian woman reportedly handed several sheets of paper containing her allegations to a flight attendant shortly after take-off, requesting that they be passed directly to the captain.

Ryanair flight FR7073, operated by a Boeing 737-8 MAX, had departed Porto Airport late on Tuesday night. Following the report, the pilot transmitted transponder code 7500 - the international aviation squawk code used to alert air traffic control discreetly to unlawful interference, such as a hijacking or cockpit intrusion.

Former TAP pilot and aviation author José Correia Guedes confirmed details of the response, noting that the transponder code was entered as the aircraft climbed past 12,000 feet.

"Upon passing FL120, the captain entered code 7500 into the transponder," Correia Guedes stated. "An alarm is automatically triggered on air traffic controllers' panels, followed by immediate coordination with authorities and emergency services."

Air traffic controllers provided priority radar vectors to guide the aircraft back to Porto, where it landed safely near midnight. Public Security Police (PSP) officers boarded the plane upon arrival to remove and identify the passenger.

Accounts regarding the passenger's subsequent treatment varied across Portuguese media. Local newspaper Correio da Manhã reported that the woman was allowed back onto the flight after being identified by officers "without police verifying her allegations".

However, other local media outlets reported that she was escorted from the airport by police and prevented from continuing her journey.

The aircraft eventually departed Porto again just before 1.30am on Wednesday morning, arriving in the Irish capital two-and-a-half hours behind schedule at approximately 3.15am local time. Local police forces could not be reached for official comment.