Dozens of Ryanair passengers were left stranded in scorching 30C heat in Greece after their flight to the UK departed without them. Between 20 and 50 passengers missed Sunday's flight from Athens International Airport to London Luton, according to the BBC. The incident has fueled concerns over delays linked to the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES), which was introduced to tighten border security across Europe.
Conflicting Explanations
Ryanair attributed the disruption to border delays, while Athens International Airport cited congestion caused by 'additional processing requirements.' Neither directly blamed the EES, which has faced operational hurdles since implementation. The EU border agency Frontex has warned that the system may take up to two years to fully stabilize.
Passenger Accounts
Milo Boyd, a travel writer for The Mirror who managed to board the flight, described a 'mega queue' at both security and passport control. He noted tensions boiled over, with one passenger shouting, 'You can't do this. It's ridiculous!' Boyd and his wife reached the gate with only 10 minutes to spare, but he estimated at least 20 passengers arrived too late. '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,' Boyd told the BBC.
Authorities reportedly stepped in to maintain order. An airport spokesperson told the BBC there had been 'periods of congestion at passport control in the departures area due to high passenger volumes and the additional processing requirements associated with travel to non-Schengen destinations.' They added: '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.'
Social Media Outcry
Ian Collins posted on X to Ryanair, calling it 'utterly disgraceful you left my daughter (and half your passengers) at the gate in Athens today.' Ryanair responded with a statement saying 'a number of passengers' did not board in time 'due to delays caused by border control at Athens airport.' The airline added: 'All passengers that were at the boarding gate when this flight from Athens to London Luton boarded, travelled without incident.'
