A Ryanair flight from Athens to London Luton left the airport without 20 to 50 passengers due to significant delays at border control. The low-cost airline attributed the situation to extended processing times, while Athens airport officials pointed to congestion caused by new requirements for non-Schengen travel.
Several passengers described chaotic scenes, with one witness telling the BBC there were “mega queues” of several hundred people at both security and passport control, all under sweltering heat. Emotional outbursts were reported, with some passengers visibly distressed. One individual said, “These poor people were pleading with the Ryanair staff to let them through – one guy was crying, another looked like he was about to explode.”
Airport authorities intervened to manage the situation after multiple passengers voiced their frustrations. A spokesperson explained: “There have 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 that many European airports are currently facing similar challenges as border-control procedures are updated and refined.
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In response to a passenger’s tweet describing the airline’s actions as “utterly disgraceful,” Ryanair stated that those left behind missed boarding because of delays at Athens airport but confirmed that all passengers present at the gate boarded and flew without incident.
Complicating matters, Greece has reversed its earlier assurance to exempt British travelers from the European Union’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES). As a result, UK passport holders will undergo the same biometric checks as other non-EU visitors this summer.
The Greek Foreign Ministry clarified that no specific nationalities are currently exempt from these procedures. This change impacts all non-EU travelers passing through Greece.
However, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni sought to reassure travelers, emphasizing that the government aims to minimize bureaucratic burdens. She confirmed that British visitors would be “fast-tracked” through the system, estimating entry and exit processes to take “a minute or so.”