Passengers were left 'crying' after a Ryanair flight from Athens to London Luton accidentally took off leaving between 20 and 50 people behind. The budget flight departed without dozens of passengers, who were stranded at the airport in sweltering temperatures.
Blame Game Between Ryanair and Airport
Ryanair pointed the finger at border delays, while the airport claimed congestion due to 'additional processing requirements' for non-Schengen destinations. One holidaymaker told the BBC there was a 'mega queue' of several hundred people at security and passport control.
'These poor people were pleading with the Ryanair staff to let them through - one guy was crying, another guy looked like he was about to explode,' they said. Airport authorities intervened 'to maintain orderly operations' after passengers expressed dissatisfaction.
A spokesperson stated: 'As is currently the case at many European airports, passenger flows on certain routes may experience increased processing times as new border-control procedures continue to be implemented and refined.'
Passenger Outrage on Social Media
A further passenger took to Twitter to blast Ryanair, saying it was 'utterly disgraceful you left my daughter (and half your passengers) at the gate in Athens today.' Ryanair said in a statement that 'a number of passengers' did not board in time due to delays caused by border control, adding that all passengers at the boarding gate travelled without incident.
Greece U-Turns on Biometric Checks for Brits
Greece has abandoned its pledge to exempt British travellers from the European Union's new biometric border checks. Brits will now undergo the same Entry/Exit System (EES) registration as every other non-EU visitor this summer. The Greek Foreign Ministry confirmed the U-turn, stating it had no information that 'specific nationalities are temporarily exempt from the relevant procedure.'
The decision impacts all non-EU travellers passing through biometric scanners. Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said the government did not want visitors 'burdened' by bureaucracy but promised Brits would be 'fast-tracked' through the system, describing entry and exit as taking 'a minute or so.'
