A Ryanair flight from Athens International Airport to London Luton left on Sunday without 20 to 50 passengers after passport control delays at the airport. The aircraft later departed an hour late after the missing passengers' bags were unloaded.
Milo Boyd, a passenger and Daily Mirror travel writer, said he saw a "mega queue" at security and passport control and that he and his wife got through 10 minutes before the gate closed. He said at least 20 others arrived too late.
Athens airport congestion
Ryanair said "a number of passengers" did not board in time because of delays caused by border control at Athens airport. The airport said it had been experiencing congestion tied to additional processing requirements, and airport authorities stepped in after passengers expressed dissatisfaction "to maintain orderly operations".
The airport spokesperson said there were "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". The spokesperson 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."
Passengers at the gate
Boyd said the scene at the gate turned tense as people on the wrong side tried to get through. He said: "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". He also said passengers shouted: "you can't do this" and "this is your stupid airport's fault, how can you not let us on?"
Ian Collins also tweeted Ryanair to say it was "utterly disgraceful you left my daughter and half your passengers at the gate in Athens today." Ryanair said "All passengers that were at the boarding gate when this flight from Athens to London Luton boarded, travelled without incident."
Entry Exit System rollout
The disruption came as the EU's Entry Exit System is being rolled out to track when non-EU citizens enter or leave the Schengen free movement area. In April, Greek tourism minister Olga Kefalogianni promised British passengers would not face biometric checks or bureaucracy when travelling to Greece that summer, but the Greek Foreign Ministry later disputed that any exemption existed.
For passengers on Sunday's flight, the practical issue was simple: getting to the gate early enough to clear passport control before boarding closed. Ryanair's account places the missed flight on border-control delays, while the airport tied the congestion to additional processing requirements at Athens.
