A Ryanair flight from Toulouse to London Stansted departed without approximately 150 passengers on board after they were unable to reach the gate due to extensive queues at border control. The incident occurred on May 30 during flight FR282.
Chaotic scenes at Toulouse airport
A female passenger described the situation as 'pure chaos', with delays beginning after the security checkpoint. She stated that around 400 to 500 people were queuing in a disorganised manner, with no proper system in place. 'You didn't join a queue, because there was no queue to join. There was just a scrummage of people,' she told The Connexion. A single staff member attempting to organise the crowd could barely be heard above the noise.
The pilot reportedly announced on board that roughly 150 passengers had missed the flight due to the delays. Other flights scheduled to board at the same time were also affected.
Ryanair's statement
A Ryanair spokesperson said: 'Due to delays caused by border control staff shortages at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on 30 May, a number of passengers booked to travel from Toulouse to London Stansted were not in the boarding gate area when boarding for their flight closed and missed their flight. All passengers that were at the boarding gate when this flight boarded were accommodated and travelled without incident.'
Broader context of EES delays
This is not the first time passengers have been left behind due to chaotic airport queues. The introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) on 10 April requires UK passengers to register biometric details, including fingerprints and facial recognition, when entering the Schengen Area. These additional checks have slowed processing times at major European airports just as travel demand surges.
In a similar incident on 16 April, a Ryanair flight from Milan Bergamo to Manchester departed without several passengers. Adam Hassanjee, 18, from Bolton, told the BBC: 'We were waiting for an hour and a half and weren't moving. Then we see the plane leave and got told we have to go and book our own flight back.' Reports suggest around 30 people were stranded in that case.
The Daily Mail has contacted Toulouse Airport for comment.
