Ryanair leaves 89 passengers stranded in Lanzarote due to passport control delays
March 2, 2026
A Ryanair flight from the Spanish island of Lanzarote was facing a delay, as dozens of passengers were held up at the non-Schengen passport control area.
But instead of waiting for the almost 90 people to make it through the gate, the airline offloaded their bags and departed without them.
Flight FR4756 departed from Lanzarote for Bristol around an hour late and was reportedly half empty. It arrived in Bristol just over 50 minutes behind schedule.
Ryanair abandons 89 passengers in Lanzarote
Ryanair flight FR4756 was operated on 25 February by a 16-year-old Boeing 737-800 registered EI-EKR.
The flight was due to take off at 15:15 local time, with an arrival time in Bristol of 19:10.
According to passengers from the flight, Lanzarote Airport has implemented a two-step registration process for the EU’s Entry-Exit System (EES). Having not quite fully rolled out the automated kiosks, passengers are instead asked to scan their passports in the departure lounge, and then again at an e-gate at the boarding gate.
It was this secondary screening that appears to have caused the hold-up.
So far, there has been no explanation from the airline or airport operator regarding the delays. It’s possible the biometric machine was inoperative, meaning manual checks were required.
“A man from Ryanair came and checked our boarding passes and passports, and made a note of our passenger numbers,” a passenger explained. “Suddenly, they told us the gate was closed now, and no one else would be allowed to board.”
Refusing boarding to dozens of passengers isn’t a simple process. The Ryanair flight reportedly unloaded the baggage of all the denied passengers before it departed, a process which took some time.
It finally took off at 16:28, leaving all 89 passengers stranded in Lanzarote.
Ryanair says passengers were late to the gate, but passengers say otherwise
Since the incident occurred, media reports have frequently suggested that the gate was closed because passengers were late arriving. However, people who were on the flight say that was not the case.
“Due to passport control delays at Lanzarote Airport (25 Feb), a number of passengers missed this flight from Lanzarote to Bristol,” Ryanair told AGN. “Should these passengers have presented at the boarding gate desk before it closed, they would have boarded this flight alongside the 90 passengers who did present at the gate on time.”
A Reddit contributor shared their experience, noting that they had arrived at the airport early and headed to the gate as soon as it was announced.
“We waited in the queue at gate 4 to be processed, but were aware that the queue hardly seemed to be moving and sensed that there was an issue at the front,” the passenger explained. “Then, through word of mouth found out that the gate had closed with less than half the passengers on board!!!”
Ryanair has responded directly to the passengers, indicating that they were late to the boarding gate because of border control checks, and blaming the airport for the missed departure. As a circumstance outside of Ryanair’s control, the airline maintains it is not liable to pay compensation.
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However, as per the post above, the Spanish Aviation Authority (AESA) has stated that,
“Passport control was being carried out by the National Police in accordance with the regulations, and it was RYANAIR’s unilateral decision not to continue with the operation and to close the boarding process.”
Can Ryanair passengers claim compensation for being stranded?
Whether the 89 passengers left behind in Lanzarote are entitled to compensation will depend on how regulators determine the cause of the disruption.
Under EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers departing from an EU airport are entitled to compensation if they are denied boarding against their will and the airline is responsible for the situation. As Lanzarote is in Spain, EU261 applies.
Compensation can range from €250 to €600, depending on flight distance. For a Lanzarote–Bristol service, which is over 1,500km but under 3,500km, the standard compensation would normally be €400 per passenger if eligibility is confirmed.
However, airlines are not required to pay compensation if the disruption was caused by “extraordinary circumstances” beyond their control, such as air traffic control restrictions, security issues or border control delays.
If regulators determine that:
- Passengers were present at the gate in time,
- The delay was foreseeable,
- And the airline chose to depart without them,
then the case may fall under denied boarding rather than extraordinary circumstances.
Even if compensation is ultimately rejected, affected passengers are still entitled to “right to care” provisions under EU261. This includes:
- Re-routing on the next available flight, or a refund,
- Meals and refreshments appropriate to the delay,
- Hotel accommodation if an overnight stay is required,
- Transport between the airport and accommodation.
Passengers who believe they were wrongly denied boarding can submit a claim directly to Ryanair. If rejected, complaints can be escalated to AESA or pursued through alternative dispute resolution.
For now, much hinges on whether investigators conclude that this was an unavoidable border control bottleneck or an operational decision taken to protect the flight’s departure slot.
Featured image: Ryanair
