Ryanair passenger filmed brawling on flight and airport claims she was defending herself and had only drunk ‘two pints and two shots of vodka’
The mum-of-three says she's not at fault insisting the videos only show her reaction after she was attacked
A WOMAN accused of causing disruption on a Ryanair flight last week has claimed she was retaliating after she was attacked first.
Nicola Artley is the female passenger in yellow who was filmed attacking a fellow passenger during a flight from Newcastle to Alicante in Spain on August 31.
She also appeared in shocking new footage brawling with a female passenger on the floor at baggage reclaim minutes after landing at Alicante Airport.
The 42-year-old has come out saying she was defending herself and insisted the videos only showed her reaction after she was attacked.
Speaking to The Gazette, the mum-of-three said: “I apologise to anyone on that plane if I was being loud. But I wasn’t being abusive until I was attacked.
“The video on most websites only shows what happened after I was punched and had a drink thrown over me. I was defending myself.
“I’m on a lot of medication. I’m on antidepressants, diazepam for my back and sleeping tablets which I’m prescribed.
“I had been awake since 5am. I had a drink, but all I’d had was two pints and two shots of vodka.
“I was probably being loud and I did get into an argument, but it wasn’t me who was violent first.”
Nicola claimed that another passenger had thrown a drink over her and hit her - and insisted the viral videos merely capture her reaction.
She said: “I was getting attacked.”
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She claimed her finger was bitten during the incident - which carried on into the airport - and as a result she was now taking antibiotics.
Nicola added: “If you watch all the other videos, people are screaming and shouting at me. It was like a mob. People were cheering as I was attacked in the airport.
“People need to know I didn’t get arrested, the police escorted me to a taxi.
“I’ve never been in trouble with the police over there or over here about this incident. People have it all wrong.
“I’ve had to come home early.
“People have been threatening my family on Facebook. Some have said they were going to publish my address.”
Nicola has said she has contacted Cleveland Police following online threats against her family.
Since the incident, Ryanair has banned Nicola from flying with the airline.
A spokeswoman said: “The crew of this flight from Newcastle to Alicante requested police assistance upon arrival after a passenger became disruptive inflight.
“The aircraft landed normally and the passenger was met by police.
“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 passenger has been banned from flying with Ryanair and this is now a matter for local police.”
A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said that in the circumstances it would not be British police that would deal with this incident, but the authorities in Alicante.
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