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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I was BANNED from Ryanair flight because of tiny mark on my passport – anyone could make the same mistake
A GRIEVING pensioner was banned from a Ryanair flight and made to feel 'like a criminal' because of a harmless mark on his passport. David Burton, 70, was trying to fly from Advertisement 2 David's passport was not considered valid and stopped him from flying home that day Credit: Thomas Godfrey The David had planned to get the 5.35pm Ryanair flight to the holiday hotspot but was turned away at check-in when staff spotted the mark – caused years ago by a luggage sticker. It tore off the surface paper of David's official observations page, even though there are none listed. The father-of-two said he had travelled across Europe for years using the passport and never had a problem at border control. Advertisement Travel Yet his treatment at the hands of 2 David wasn't able to travel home until the following morning Credit: Thomas Godfrey Retired David told The Sun: 'I gave the agents my passport and they just went off with it. 'He came back and said it was being checked, to see if it's valid. Advertisement 'Eventually they came back and said that Ryanair is very strict with documents. Most read in Travel 'He came back with another young man and he said, 'You won't be travelling to Portugal today from this airport. You might be able to travel from Bristol or Gatwick'. 'He was trying to assert himself, so I thought there was no point in arguing. 'Not that they would know, but I'd just laid one of my friends to rest. Advertisement 'My wife told me to go outside and get some fresh air. I wouldn't treat anyone the way I was treated. 'They were looking for a problem and a reason not to let me fly. You can use the word criminal, but it certainly felt like they had been trained to boot me off.' The rejection, for which David was not offered a refund, meant he had to book a new Jet2 flight from Bristol the next morning, setting him back hundreds of pounds in The next day, David sailed through check-in with no issues, and agents told him his passport was perfectly valid to fly. Advertisement The shocked pensioner added: 'Once I got to Faro, I asked the border agent if there was anything wrong with my passport. 'He looked at me like I was stupid, said no, stamped it, and sent me on my way. 'I'm just staggered this happened, and it's really shaken me. 'I'm lucky I could re-book the flight, or I really would have been stuck.' Advertisement A Ryanair spokeswoman said: 'This passenger was correctly refused travel on this flight from Exeter to Faro by the gate agent at Exeter Airport as his passport was damaged and therefore not valid for travel.' What are passport rules? What are passport rules? The Sun's Head of Travel Lisa Minot has explained exactly what Brits need to know." Travellers used to be able to roll over up to nine unused months from their old passport onto a new one. "But post-Brexit, anyone wanting to travel to the EU can no longer rely on those extra months." In order to travel to the EU, all passports must be no more than 10 years old on the day you arrive in your European destination. "And you'll need at least three months on your passport on the day you head back to the UK." Figures have shown up to 100,000 holidaymakers a year face being turned away at airports if their passport is more than 10 years old. "The 10-year rule only applies to countries in the European Union but every country may have different rules on what is accepted - some countries like South Africa, for example, insist you have at least six months left on your passport when you travel and a full clear page."
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Suspect arrested over Iran-backed plot to attack Israeli embassy ‘arrived in UK as asylum seeker'
Thomas Godfrey Michael Hamilton Published: Invalid Date, AT least one Iranian suspect arrested over an alleged plot to attack the Israeli embassy in London had made a claim for asylum in the UK, it is understood. The man was among five held by armed counter-terror police over an imminent bid to target a 'specific premises' — said to be the high-security consulate in Kensington, West London. 4 4 4 It is now understood he had entered the UK from abroad and made an asylum claim, which was still ongoing when he was picked up in a series of national raids on May 3. The five males were arrested in West London, Swindon, Manchester, Rochdale and Stockport, with Special Forces soldiers assisting police in the orchestrated operation. Two of the suspects are aged 29, one is 24, another 40 and one is 46. One of the five is said to have close ties to Iran's government. Counter-terror police are still attempting to identify how the others arrived in the UK and what their backgrounds may be. It leaves open the possibility that others from the group could have arrived in Britain either illegally or by other means to claim asylum. Yesterday, the Met Police were granted warrants of further detention for four of the men. It means they can be questioned until next Saturday, when they must be charged or bailed under the Terrorism Act, or released. The fifth — a 24-year-old Iranian — has been released on conditional police bail to a date this month. Official figures show asylum claims by Iranians have soared from 2,011 in 2014 to 8,099 in 2024 — a 302 per cent increase. The Islamic republic ranks behind Pakistan and Afghanistan as the third highest nation for claims. And more than 10,000 Iranians have come into the UK on small boats from Calais since June 2023, statistics also show. The Met said its officers continue to carry out searches at a number of addresses in the Greater Manchester, London and Swindon areas. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'We are working incredibly hard with public safety at the forefront of our ongoing efforts. 'We have clear and critical reasons for not providing further details at this time. As soon as we can, we will look to share further information with the public.' Israel's embassy in West London — the alleged target — is ringed by 8ft walls, guard posts, state-of-the-art monitoring systems and 24-hour armed security. It means any attack would have had to use lethal force and likely take out specialist diplomatic protection cops in the process. Security minister Dan Jarvis described the operation to arrest the alleged plotters as 'some of the largest counter-state threats and counter-terrorism actions we have seen in recent times'. It has been reported taxpayer-funded asylum hotels were searched as part of the operation. It comes as we can reveal how an Iranian-backed criminal group named by ministers last week had previously targeted Israel's consulate in Sweden. The Foxtrot Network, already linked to shootings, bombings and targeted assaults across Europe, was referenced by Mr Jarvis a day after the May 3 arrests. Swedish police have said the group attempted an attack on the embassy in Stockholm in January 2024 — with a hand grenade thrown near the building. 4 It was spotted by staff who called the police, and the device later destroyed in a controlled explosion. Two teenagers were also accused of carrying out another attempted attack on the embassy last May at the direction of Iran-backed agents. Iran's embassy in Sweden denied having a role in either attack. It is unknown if Foxtrot had any involvement in the alleged plot to attack the London site. The network's fugitive leader, Rawa Majid, 38, has been on the run since March after fleeing his home in Turkey. He and Foxtrot had been sanctioned by the Foreign Office last month, and Mr Jarvis highlighted their actions again following the five UK-based arrests. He said: 'The Government sanctioned the Foxtrot Network last month, a network involved in violence against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe on behalf of the Iranian regime.' The Foreign Office previously revealed more than 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals on UK soil have been thwarted since 2022. Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said: 'Iran in no uncertain terms categorically rejects any involvement in such actions.' 'WE MUST CONTROL MIGRATION' By JULIA ATHERLEY MIGRATION 'must be properly controlled and managed so the system is fair', the Home Secretary has said. Yvette Cooper's comments come as ministers prepare to lay out sweeping reforms to the immigration system. The skilled visa threshold will be increased to degree-level, and employers will be told they must train workers in the UK, under plans to be presented to Parliament tomorrow. The Immigration White Paper is part of the Government's efforts to reduce net migration to the UK, with the figure reaching 728,000 in 2024. Meanwhile, children and women were among those to arrive in Dover, Kent, yesterday — the first migrants to cross the Channel since May 2.
