Riotous moment brawling passenger is served instant karma after slapping a steward in the face during mid-flight punch up on Ryanair flight to Tenerife

This is the dramatic moment a 'disruptive' Ryanair passenger slapped an air steward before being punched in the nose by an intervening holidaymaker and restrained.

Shocking footage shows a row breaking out aboard a flight from Liverpool to Tenerife last month, one 'upset' tourist scrapping with staff before forcing an early landing.

The steward is seen closing an overhead cabin before turning to face a small crowd of people looking on at the situation nearby.

A man who had 'become upset on board' then lunges across to slap the steward before reopening the cabin, apparently to retrieve something from it.

As the slap lands, an uproar echoes around the cabin before one of the passengers dives in to deliver a punch to the apparent aggressor, creating more commotion.

The violent tourist has since been banned from Ryanair, the airline confirmed today.

The passenger in black appears to slap the steward in the face - to uproar from passengers

Another passenger lunges across the punch him in the face before he can be restrained

Staff and other passengers ended up stepping in to stop the row escalating, pulling the offending holidaymaker to the ground.

The man was then detained with a seat belt, according to Spanish media. 

It was unclear what had started the brawl, but Ryanair said a 'passenger became upset on board', as reported by The Olive Press. 

The July 4 flight was ultimately diverted to Santiago, in the northwest of Galicia, after crew called the police on the troublemaker.

Officials met the plane at Santiago de Compostela upon landing.

Police were asked to meet the plane with urgency on the tarmac and a doctor was also needed.

The air traffic controllers said the crew had tried to calm the situation but asked for officers to greet the aircraft after its emergency landing at Santiago on the Spanish mainland.

The aircraft was a Ryanair Boeing 737.

The journey on to Tenerife from Santiago usually takes just under three hours. 

'The crew of a flight from Liverpool to Tenerife south have contacted us about a conflictive passenger on board and have had to divert to Santiago de Compostela,' air traffic controllers wrote on Twitter/X.

It is unclear whether any arrests were made.

A spokesperson for Ryanair told MailOnline today: 'This flight from Liverpool to Tenerife (4 Jul) diverted to Santiago after a passenger became disruptive onboard.

'Crew called ahead for police assistance and the aircraft was met by local police upon arrival who removed this passenger before this flight continued to Tenerife.

'This passenger has since been banned from flying with Ryanair.'

The aircraft made an emergency landing at Santiago on the Spanish mainland (Pictured, Santiago de Compostela Airport)

The aircraft was a Ryanair Boeing 737. (Pictured, stock image of a Ryanair Boeing 737)

Last month, a United Airlines passenger was separately filmed biting a chunk of fabric out of a flight attendant's shirt during a mid-flight meltdown.

The woman was on United Airlines Flight 762 from Miami to Newark but barely made it off the runway before she became unruly.

Video recorded by another traveler began after the crew restrained her wrists with zip-ties and she was wrestling with three of them.

Suddenly she bit one of their shoulders, tearing off a piece of fabric and letting it float to the floor in front of the shocked plane.

'Stop touching me... let go of me, I'm a f**king girl, are you trying to kill me?' she shouted afterwards.

Witnesses said she threw punches and spat at people before she was restrained, according to TMZ. 

A passenger told her to stop yelling and she told her 'go back to Russia, old lady', then let out a steady stream of expletives and told her 'I'll f**king kill you, b***h'. 

United said the passenger 'became aggressive and disruptive', causing the diversion to Orlando and lengthy delay.

They commended their staff for their professionalism 'and for looking out for the safety of our customers and their fellow United employees'.

The Orlando Police Department said the woman was taken to hospital for a medical evaluation and no arrest has yet been made.