Ryanair has been forced to apologise after passengers on a flight from Gatwick to Ireland were made to sit next to a putrid pool of vomit for the entirety of their 90-minute journey.
Student Noel O'Hare was sat just feet away from the disgusting mess, which he claims cabin crew refused to clean up during the flight on Sunday morning.
A token effort had been made to hide the vile sight, with tissues covering the affected spot, but the smell remained and passengers were forced to endure the "horrendous" stench all the way from London to Dublin.
The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland, who had been visiting London for the weekend, told the Standard: "I boarded the plane with friends and noticed the unsightly mess straight away.
"I mentioned it to cabin crew and was told it would not be cleaned up until the aircraft landed in Dublin.
"That's all I could do, they just walked on."
He added: "I sat three seats across and smell was horrendous, there were passengers in the row in front and behind."
A Ryanair spokeswoman said the vomit was left because to clean it up would have delayed the flight.
“We sincerely regret this incident which was caused by a shortage of cleaners at Gatwick Airport, which would have delayed the return flight by more than one hour," she said.
"The cabin crew blocked off the row of seats in order to minimise any delay to the return flight, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
