Ryanair warns passengers after hundreds miss flights amid airport chaos
Ryanair has issued a stern warning to holidaymakers following travel turmoil at several Portuguese airports, leaving hundreds stranded at departure gates.
The budget airline reported that over the past fortnight, more than 270 passengers have missed their flights due to lengthy queues and severe understaffing at border control. The most significant delays are being experienced at Faro, Lisbon and Porto airports, with wait times reportedly extending up to an astonishing two and a half hours.
In a statement released on Monday, Ryanair condemned the situation as "completely unacceptable", urging Portugal's new government to address the staffing crisis.
"In just the past two weeks, over 270 passengers missed their flights at these airports due to excessive delays caused by understaffed border controls," the airline stated.
The problem began to intensify around 26 May, with the airline cautioning that families, including those travelling with young children, were getting caught in the chaos. The issue is particularly severe during morning peak hours, when passenger numbers surge and border posts are overwhelmed, reports the Mirror.
Ryanair blamed airport operator ANA for failing to adequately prepare for the annual summer travel influx. The statement continued, "The new government should take urgent measures to ensure that border control at Portuguese airport is duly equipped with resources. "
It also emphasised the urgency for proactive measures to avert further turmoil as the busy season approaches, "especially during the morning rush hour, in order to avoid unnecessary delays and more people unfairly missing their flights".
Neal McMahon, Operations Director at Ryanair, termed the current circumstances as "unsustainable," cautioning of an escalation in problems as passenger numbers soar in the summer.
Portugal's Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, recently attempted to quell rising anxieties by assuring that issues with border controls would be "resolved within two weeks".
The PSP police force has committed to introducing 500 additional officers to fortify airport security and manage border checks in Lisbon, Porto, Madeira, and the Azores starting from July.
An initiative for immediate reinforcements at Faro Airport, where the situation has been especially severe, is already in motion. Travellers planning trips to or via Portugal are urged to allot extra time for airport arrival to avoid potentially missing their flights.
This development unfolds as travel agencies have observed a significant number of UK holiday-goers opting for north African destinations over customary European retreats. The lure seems to be the region's abundance of competitively priced high-quality accommodation compared to costlier options in traditional holiday spots like Spain, France, and Italy.
North African nations including Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are witnessing a surge in visitors from the UK. According to aviation analysts Cirium, an estimated 19,847 flights are expected to operate from UK airports to these countries this year, more than double the 8,653 flights recorded in 2019.
In contrast, the number of flights to Spain and Portugal is predicted to rise by just 10 per cent and 9 per cent respectively over the same period.
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