Ryanair row: ‘I'm no racist’, says ranting passenger
David Mesher claims it was ‘a fit of temper’ that made him call Delsie Gayle an ‘ugly black b*****d’

The man who unleashed a tirade of abuse against a fellow passenger on a Ryanair flight from Barcelona to Stansted has come forward and apologised, claiming he lost his temper.
Last week, 75-year-old David Mesher was filmed calling his passenger, Delsie Gayle, an “ugly black b*****d” and a “stupid, ugly cow” after a conflict over their seating. Mesher was not removed from his seat, and Gayle instead was moved somewhere else.
The incident was posted to social media, where many criticised the airline for not removing Mesher from the plane, for waiting to report him to the police until the day after the flight and for not apparently apologising immediately to Gayle for their handling of the incident.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Mesher apologised on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, where he said he “probably lost [his] temper a bit and ordered her to get up”, admitting that he regrets his behaviour.
Gayle, an elderly woman from east London, and her daughter Carol told GMB they did not accept his apology. “He says he wasn’t a racist,” said Gayle’s daughter. “He wouldn’t be saying words like that if he wasn’t racist.”
Gayle told The Guardian on Monday that she felt depressed about the incident and had not heard from Ryanair in the days following the flight. “He [does] it with me and he gets away, he’ll do it with somebody else,” she said.
Following Mesher’s apology, Ryanair released an official statement on the incident via Twitter.
“Ryanair immediately reported the video and its racist abuse to the Essex Police in Stansted,” it said. “These prompt actions disprove the false claims that Ryanair did not respond ‘quickly’ or ‘appropriately’ to this video.”
Ryanair also claims the flight attendants were not present during the racist insults during the argument, so they did not understand the severity of the situation. In addition, the airline said it had apologised to Gayle the following morning.
“We again extend our very sincere apologies to this passenger,” said Robin Kiely, Ryanair’s head of communications. “We believe that by reporting this matter immediately to the Essex Policy and by apologising in writing to this customer early on Sunday morning, Ryanair treated it with the urgency and seriousness it warranted.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How global conflicts are reshaping flight paths
Under the Radar Airlines are having to take longer and convoluted routes to avoid conflict zones
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos