Ryanair says passengers who arrived on time were accommodated, after delays tied to passport control disruptions kept many at Lanzarote Airport.
A trip home can unravel quickly when an airport system misses a step, and dozens of Ryanair passengers say that is what happened at Lanzarote.
Reports indicate nearly 70 travellers were left stranded at Lanzarote Airport after border and passport control issues disrupted an outbound day of flying.. The group, including passengers heading back to Edinburgh, was reportedly held at the airport on May 4 when passport checks failed to run smoothly.
For travellers, the ripple effect is immediate: even if the aircraft is ready, boarding can be delayed by bottlenecks before passengers ever reach the gate.
In total, 68 holidaymakers reportedly did not make the boarding area when boarding opened and then closed, following an issue tied to the airport’s new Entry/Exit System (EES).. Misryoum reports that the disruption related to how third-country nationals are registered, a process that uses biometric data, including fingerprints and a photograph.
Ryanair said it accommodated all passengers who presented themselves at the boarding gate before departure and that they travelled without incident. Misryoum also notes that the impact was linked in reports to flights beyond the European Union.
The EES is intended to speed up passport checks and track visa-free stays, but when the system fails, it can turn a routine queue into a long wait with real consequences for timetables.
Local reporting said operations were disrupted around 11am, with delays and confusion in departure areas. According to those accounts, the problem was later resolved by midday, though some passengers still missed the window for boarding.
The airline has been pushing for governments to suspend the EES during peak travel periods. Misryoum also notes that Ryanair has argued that rolling out an IT system in the middle of the busiest season leaves passengers dealing with delays, long lines, and missed departures.
In this case, the experience highlights how airport technology changes can collide with holiday schedules, where minutes matter and backup plans do not always arrive in time.
Ryanair’s operations chief said governments should suspend EES until after the summer rush, pointing to an approach used elsewhere during earlier busy periods. Misryoum understands that Spanish National Police authorities were contacted for comment.