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Ryanair has apologised after ground staff at Luton airport refused to allow a passenger to board a plane to Spain despite his passport being valid.
On Friday 8 December, 51-year-old Mark Starkey was scheduled to take the 6am flight to Alicante. His British passport was granted on 11 December 2013 and will expire on 11 July 2024.
According to post-Brexit regulations, a British passport needs to be under 10 years old and have at least three months left before its expiration date in order to travel to the European Union. Mr Starkey’s passport fulfilled both of these requirements.
However, a supervisor at the airport in London claimed that the document was not valid and denied him boarding the plane.
According to Mr Starkey, an executive in the field of educational technology, he had no issues passing through security and the departure gate check. He shared that the ground staff member noticed his passport only had three days left before it expired according to the 10-year rule. He informed her that he was aware of this and that this was his final trip of the year before renewing his passport.
“She motioned for me to proceed and I began making my way towards the aircraft. However, she later beckoned me back and explained that she needed to confirm with the immigration officials at Ryanair.”
She contacted them and provided them with my information, but expressed doubt about my ability to fly. Afterwards, she ended the call and informed me that my passport was not acceptable.
I expressed my disagreement and requested to speak with a manager. The person I was speaking with claimed to be the supervisor and in charge. I then requested to speak with the Ryanair immigration representative, but she declined, stating that she was the only one who could handle it and that they had determined my passport to be invalid.
“I was shocked that I encountered a complete lack of cooperation. I then had to make an effort to re-enter the airport.”
After verifying the validity of his passport, Mr. Starkey traveled back to his residence in Buckinghamshire. The Independent had confirmed this information and he was able to book an easyJet flight to Spain the next day. He used the same passport without any issues.
During the discussions about Brexit, the United Kingdom requested that individuals holding British passports be considered “third-country nationals,” placing them in the same group as travelers from many other countries such as Tonga and Venezuela.
For several months following the implementation of the rule in 2021, both Ryanair and easyJet incorrectly enforced the rule by stating that a British passport would expire after nine years and nine months.
Following pressure from The Independent, both airlines complied with the Brussels regulations, as did the UK government, which had previously been providing inaccurate information on the matter.
The spokesperson for Ryanair expressed their regret for Mr Starkey’s situation. They acknowledged that he was wrongly denied travel by the handling agent at Luton airport due to a mistaken belief that his passport was not valid for travel to the EU.
“All British citizens travelling to the European Union must adhere to the entry requirements listed below.”
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Passports must be issued no more than 10 years before entering the EU.
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The passport needs to remain valid for a minimum of 3 months after the return date of travel from the EU.
One of our Customer Service Department employees will reach out to this passenger regarding the mistake made by our handling agent at Luton airport.
Ryanair is required to reimburse Mr. Starkey for his flight expenses and any additional transportation fees, as well as provide him with £350 in cash compensation in accordance with European air passenger regulations.
Source: independent.co.uk
