Chaos erupted as British passengers were left stranded at Linate airport in Milan due to huge delays at border control meaning they missed their flight back to Manchester
easyJet passengers were ‘close to passing out’ after being left in the heat as their flight left to Manchester without them due to border control chaos.
About 100 people have been left stranded in Milan on Sunday, April 12 after facing up to three hour queues at Milan’s Linate airport because of new border control checks.
As well as concerns over how to get home, many passengers were left vomiting and passing out due to the heat, according to the BBC.
easyJet said it was working to support passengers but that the situation was “outside of our control”.
Large queues formed at the international airport causing mayhem.
Pictures and videos shared online showed scenes of mayhem as large queues formed at the international airport.
The carnage comes after the UK government updated its guidance to people travelling to the European Schengen area, meaning they may have to register biometric details when they arrive.
The implementation of the EU entry and exit system (EES) is an electronic system that replaces the physical stamping of passports when going through boarding control.
The airline said that it held the plane for almost an hour extra, but eventually had to depart due to crew working hours.
Passengers have been left disappointed after arriving at the airport in plenty of time and now facing huge delays to return home.
Emily Benn, from Grimsby, was travelling with five others on the 11am flight. Her new flight will now go to Gatwick rather than Manchester, meaning a £400 taxi fare on arrival.
She told the M.E.N: “We got to the airport at 8am and our flight was due to leave Milan Linate at 11am. As soon as our gate came on the board, we went straight to it and there was already a huge queue.
“The queue was for three separate flights, and there were hundreds of passengers all trying to get through. The new EES wasn’t working, so we all had to be checked by two people on passport control.
“It got to 11:20am and we were told the flight had left without us. They put us all on a shuttle bus and sent us back to the arrivals area, where we had to go back to the easyJet desk.
“We were told to rebook flights, so have booked to Gatwick and will then pay £400 for a taxi back to Manchester as that’s where our car is parked. We are a party of five adults and one child, who is due to have spinal surgery in a few days.”
Other passengers shared the ‘nightmare’ experience on social media. One posted: “What a nightmare!
“You abandoned me and 122 other passengers in Milan. You flew to Manchester with 34 onboard.
“We queued for three hours and all the time the flight info remained at ‘boarding’ we were then told the delayed flight had left.”
An easyJet spokesperson said: “We are aware that some passengers departing from Milan Linate today experienced longer than usual waiting times at passport control and we advised customers due to fly to allow additional time to make their way through the airport.
“We held flight EJU5420 from Milan to Manchester for nearly an hour to give passengers extra time but it had to then depart due to crew reaching their safety regulated operating hours. Customers who missed the flight have been offered a free flight transfer.
“We continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed while EES is implemented, to avoid these unacceptable border delays for our customers. While this is outside of our control, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
