DUBLIN, Ireland: A 29-year-old man who caused more than 9,400 euros worth of damage at Dublin Airport after missing his flight has been sentenced to one year in prison.
Lukas Kaunietis pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage and one count of threatening, abusive, or insulting behaviour stemming from an incident at Terminal One on March 17, 2025.
According to Garda Peter Mullins, Kaunietis arrived at a Ryanair gate at around 7 a.m., planning to fly to Lithuania. When he found the gate closed and realized he had missed the flight, he became aggressive. He opened and interfered with equipment at the gate while around 20 passengers — including children — sat nearby.
About 10 minutes later, airport staff tried to intervene. Kaunietis responded by lifting a computer over his head and smashing it on the ground. He then grabbed glasses from nearby bar tables and threw them, before picking up a metal barrier post and hitting it as well.
He continued damaging airport property, including more computers and baggage measurement equipment. At one point, he rolled a large barrel down a walkway and lifted another over his head, prompting nearby passengers to leave the area.
When staff confronted him and asked if he understood what he had done, Kaunietis replied, "Whatever." He later calmed down and cooperated with gardaí during his arrest.
CCTV footage presented to the court showed the damage, which totaled 9,452 euros and involved equipment belonging to both Dublin Airport and Ryanair.
Kaunietis has no previous convictions and entered an early guilty plea. He has been in custody since the day of the incident. His lawyer, Luigi Rea BL, told the court that Kaunietis plans to return to Lithuania upon his release and is deeply ashamed of his actions. He had been working in construction in Belfast for six weeks before the incident.
Judge Martin Nolan said Kaunietis arrived late for his flight and became upset, leading to a "significant amount of criminal damage" and disruption. He sentenced Kaunietis to one year in prison, backdated to March 17.
