Eighty-nine holiday-makers missed Ryanair flight FR4756 from Lanzarote to Bristol on Wednesday after snaking queues at the non-Schengen passport checkpoint prevented them reaching the gate. Airport sources quoted by the Canarian Weekly say the low-cost carrier off-loaded the passengers’ bags, waited almost an hour and then departed with the Boeing 737 more than half empty, arriving in the UK 46 minutes late.
Long lines at César Manrique-Lanzarote airport are common whenever several UK departures overlap, because every non-EU traveller must have their passport stamped. The Canary Islands Chamber of Commerce warned last year that the forthcoming EU Entry/Exit System could create “serious bottlenecks” unless extra booths and staff are installed.
![Passport-Control Bottleneck Strands 89 Ryanair Passengers in Lanzarote]()
To minimise the risk of being caught out by procedural changes like mandatory passport stamping or the new Entry/Exit System, travellers can turn to VisaHQ. The service details Spain’s current entry rules, helps secure any necessary documents online, and offers step-by-step guidance, saving precious minutes at the airport: https://www.visahq.com/spain/
Ryanair has not commented, but industry analysts note the incident coincides with the airline’s dispute over Aena’s plan to raise airport fees by an average 3.8 % from 2027. Ryanair has threatened to cut one million seats from Spanish routes and redeploy capacity to Morocco and Albania, saying higher charges will hurt tourism.
Stranded passengers were advised to contact Ryanair customer service for re-routing or compensation under EU261 rules, although airlines can invoke “extraordinary circumstances” if they argue border-control delays are outside their control. Travel-risk managers should monitor wait-times at Spanish island airports, especially as the Easter peak approaches.
Long lines at César Manrique-Lanzarote airport are common whenever several UK departures overlap, because every non-EU traveller must have their passport stamped. The Canary Islands Chamber of Commerce warned last year that the forthcoming EU Entry/Exit System could create “serious bottlenecks” unless extra booths and staff are installed.
To minimise the risk of being caught out by procedural changes like mandatory passport stamping or the new Entry/Exit System, travellers can turn to VisaHQ. The service details Spain’s current entry rules, helps secure any necessary documents online, and offers step-by-step guidance, saving precious minutes at the airport: https://www.visahq.com/spain/
Ryanair has not commented, but industry analysts note the incident coincides with the airline’s dispute over Aena’s plan to raise airport fees by an average 3.8 % from 2027. Ryanair has threatened to cut one million seats from Spanish routes and redeploy capacity to Morocco and Albania, saying higher charges will hurt tourism.
Stranded passengers were advised to contact Ryanair customer service for re-routing or compensation under EU261 rules, although airlines can invoke “extraordinary circumstances” if they argue border-control delays are outside their control. Travel-risk managers should monitor wait-times at Spanish island airports, especially as the Easter peak approaches.
