Ryanair leaves 89 passengers behind after passport control delays in Lanzarote

Ryanair left 89 passengers stranded at César Manrique–Lanzarote Airport on Wednesday after lengthy queues at passport control prevented them from reaching the gate in time for their flight to Bristol.

Flight FR4756 (Boeing 737-800 reg. EI-EKR) was scheduled to depart at 15:15 local time on 25 February. However, severe congestion at the non-Schengen passport control area — where UK-bound travellers must have their passports stamped — led to significant delays. According to local reports, the airline opted not to hold the aircraft and instead offloaded the affected passengers’ baggage, a process that reportedly took nearly an hour.

The flight ultimately departed and landed in Bristol 46 minutes behind schedule.

Recurring Border Bottlenecks

Long queues at the airport’s non-Schengen checkpoint are a persistent issue, frequently creating knock-on disruption for outbound services to the UK and other non-EU destinations.

The airport experienced similar operational strain in February 2025, when the simultaneous arrival of 17 non-EU flights caused extensive congestion for inbound passengers requiring passport checks.

Industry observers have speculated that the decision not to delay the flight further may reflect broader tensions between Ryanair and Spain’s airport operator, AENA, over increased airport charges. The airline has not issued an official statement regarding the Lanzarote incident.

EES Concerns Loom

Additional pressure may come from the forthcoming EU Entry/Exit System (EES), a digital border-control scheme expected to increase processing times during its rollout phase. In August 2025, José Valle, president of the Cámara de Comercio de Lanzarote y La Graciosa, warned that without additional staffing and infrastructure upgrades, the system could create “serious bottlenecks” at the airport.

With UK traffic representing a substantial share of Lanzarote’s outbound market, sustained passport-control congestion poses both operational and reputational risks for airlines and airport authorities alike.