Outrage Erupts as Ryanair Leaves 89 Passengers Stranded at Lanzarote Airport Amid Passport Delays and Long Queues

ALMOST 100 people were abandoned at the Spanish island of Lanzarote after severe delays at passport control, it has been reported.

flight FR4756 departed from César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport for half empty, leaving around 89 passengers behind on Wednesday.

Ryanair Boeing 737-800 airplane at Lanzarote airport (ACE) in SpainCredit: Getty Cesar Manrique-Lanzarote Airport, Canary IslandsCredit: Alamy

Delays began at the non-Schengen passport control area, where line up to have their stamped before boarding the plane.

Running out of patience, airline staff began removing their suitcases from the jet – which took nearly an hour – and eventually left, newspaper La Voz de Lanzarote reported.

It is not yet clear what happened to the passengers and how long they were stranded in Lanzarote.

President of the Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, José Valle, warned last year that the implementation of the EU’s new European Entry/Exit System (EES) could cause “serious collapses” at the airport.

The full rollout of the bloc’s new border controls is due to come into force on April 10.

It is part of a two-pronged approach that the EU is taking to digitalise its borders, which means new travel rules for non-visa nationals visiting the Schengen Area.

The incident at Lanzarote comes after air organisations warned that waiting times may be significantly longer this summer because of the new system.

They are calling for urgent action to combat “chronic border control understaffing” and “unresolved technology issues”.

Some industry sources also suggested that the decision to leave the passengers behind may be linked to over increased airport charges introduced by AENA, the state-controlled airport operator in the country.

But the budget airline has not formally commented on the incident.

Ryanair is furious about the price hikes, saying: “The statement from AENA’s monopoly on February 25 is astonishing for its inability to understand how to take advantage of Spain’s airport infrastructure to boost traffic, tourism and employment.

“The only reason Ryanair and other airlines are cutting traffic at Spain’s regional airports – which are now empty by more than 70% – is that AENA’s excessive fares are diverting that traffic to more competitive airports elsewhere in .

“That is the economic reality of monopoly prices.

“This summer, Ryanair, which is the number one airline in Spain and Europe, will grow by less than 0.5% at Spanish airports, including major and regional airports.

“At the same time, we will increase our summer traffic by 11% in Morocco, 9% in Italy and 60% in Albania.

“The reason why we are boosting tourism markets in other countries and not in Spain is simple: access costs in other countries are significantly more competitive, and there the growth in passenger numbers is rewarded with lower rates.”

The airline already revealed that this year it plans to axe over a million seats to certain Spanish routes, with some routes being cut down, because of the dispute.

The Sun has contacted Ryanair for a comment.

Ryanair is yet to comment on the incidentCredit: Alamy