EasyJet Flight Departs Half-Empty as Milan-Linate Border Queues Strand 100 Passengers

The most dramatic EES-related incident yet reported in Italy unfolded at Milan Linate Airport when EasyJet flight EJU 5420 to Manchester left on 12 April with just 34 of the 156 ticketed passengers. Travel news site The Traveler published eyewitness accounts on 15 April describing passport-control lines stretching the length of the departures hall, with some travellers fainting in the crush. Staff extended the boarding window by almost an hour, but crew duty-time limits forced eventual departure, leaving around 100 customers behind. Passengers told reporters they had reached the airport more than two hours before departure but spent the majority of that time in biometric enrolment. EasyJet offered free transfers to later flights, yet many travellers incurred hotel costs and additional leave days. Consumer groups note that EU261 compensation is unlikely because the delay was caused by government-mandated border procedures beyond the airline’s control. The incident has become a flash-point in Italian media, with opposition MPs accusing the government of failing to provide adequate staffing despite months of warnings. The Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has launched an investigation into whether contingency plans at Linate met the minimum service-level agreements required under the National Airports Plan. For global-mobility managers, the episode underscores the need for proactive employee briefings.



Travellers who want additional peace of mind can tap VisaHQ’s resources: the company’s Italy hub (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) provides step-by-step visa support, real-time updates on entry requirements, and tailored advice on navigating new systems like the EES—an efficient way for both corporate travel managers and individual passengers to make sure paperwork is squared away long before they reach the airport.

Several multinational firms have begun issuing “EES survival guides” advising travellers to proceed directly to border control after security, carry water, and prioritise morning flights over midday peaks if same-day meetings are essential. Airport operator SEA Milano says it will install an additional 20 e-gates and dedicate a separate hall for biometric registration by mid-June. Until then, passengers—particularly UK nationals and other non-EU citizens—should plan generous buffers for both departure and arrival formalities.