Ryanair has confirmed that passengers on a flight from Milan Bergamo to Manchester were left behind last week due to delays at passport control, caused by the rollout of the European Union's new Entry-Exit System (EES). The system, which requires non-EU nationals, including British citizens, to register biometric data such as facial scans and fingerprints, was activated across all Schengen Area border checkpoints on April 10.
The airline stated that passengers who missed the flight were not at the boarding gate when it closed. However, footage obtained by the BBC from Milan Bergamo airport showed a large crowd of frustrated passengers confronting staff, claiming they had been waiting at the gate for over an hour and complaining that information was 'too slow'. One passenger told the BBC that approximately 30 travellers were left stranded, though Ryanair declined to confirm the exact number.
In a separate incident, a Ryanair flight from Tenerife South to East Midlands on April 10 also left passengers behind due to passport control delays. The airline reiterated that those affected had not presented themselves at the boarding gate before it closed.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said the EES system was 'working very well', with no issues in the majority of EU member states. However, the Commission acknowledged 'a few member states where technical issues have been detected – as can be expected in the first days of full operation of any major new system'. Since its soft launch in October, over 56 million border crossings have been recorded, with 28,500 individuals refused entry, including 700 flagged as security threats.
