Ryanair were left in a sticky situation after attempts to fix a pilot’s window with tape forced the aeroplane to turn back 20 minutes into a flight to Latvia.

The 200 passengers were taken back to London after the tape flew partially loose, causing alarming noises on the 1,000 mile flight.

Wrapping up the incident, the Irish Aviation Authority said that the tape was a safe-guard on a new window seal and were satisfied that procedures had been carried out correctly.

However passengers, who saw the tape being stuck on before take-off, were petrified.

Anthony Neal, 33, of Bromley, Kent, said:

"We were kept in the dark, and were terrified. I could see guys taping-in the windscreen with what looked like duct tape or gaffer tape.

"We were in the sky, then the pilot said due to damage on the windscreen, we were going to have to turn back."

Ryanair have proposed a number of controversial cost-cutting measures in the past, including pay-as-you-go toilets, standing tickets and now charges passengers to print their boarding cards.

In one notable incident, Ryanair gave a sandwich to a man suffering cardiac arrest then tried to charge him for it.

A spokesman for Ryanair said: "We do not comment on routine technical issues. All Ryanair flights operate in accordance with approved safety standards."