- Passenger Left Behind on Flight from France to Scotland
- Ryanair Blames Bordeaux Airport for the Incident
- Bordeaux Airport Criticizes Ryanair in Response
Ryanair and Bordeaux Airport are engaged in a dispute over a passenger with a wheelchair left behind on a flight from France to Scotland.
A representative for Ryanair informed Insider on Saturday that the incident occurred on September 19 during the departure of a flight from Bordeaux Airport to Edinburgh. The identity of the passenger remains unknown at this time.
In their statement, Ryanair condemned the mishap as “unacceptable” and placed the blame on Bordeaux Airport. The statement read, “It is unacceptable that Bordeaux Airport failed to provide this passenger with the special assistance required to board this flight from Bordeaux to Edinburgh (19 Sept) despite Ryanair paying for this service.”
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The statement claims that Bordeaux Airport staff falsely informed Ryanair crew members that all passengers were on board the flight.
“Ground staff at Bordeaux Airport realized their error and notified the crew, who returned to the gate to accommodate the passenger. It is abysmal that Ryanair customers requiring special assistance are being let down by Bordeaux Airport, and we are working with them to ensure that this does not happen again,” the statement concluded.
In response, a representative for Bordeaux Airport strongly denied Ryanair’s allegations in a statement shared with Insider on Monday.
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The representative from Bordeaux Airport stated that Ryanair’s claims were “false and defamatory.” The statement clarified that the passenger had requested wheelchair assistance from Ryanair and was provided with an assigned agent through a company contracted by the airport.
“When the boarding for the flight to Edinburgh commenced, all passengers, including the passenger with the wheelchair and her companion, were directed towards the aircraft by Ryanair’s service provider,” the statement continued. “The passenger in the wheelchair and her companion were visible to Ryanair staff in the boarding lounge and under their responsibility.”
The statement acknowledged that the agent responsible for escorting the passenger from the boarding gate to the aircraft “should have arrived sooner,” but maintained that Bordeaux Airport was not liable for the incident.
“It is highly regrettable that the airline has described the situation without consulting us first and has chosen to blame the airport for its own fault,” the statement concluded.
Throughout the summer months, travel disruptions and incidents have increased as vacation travel has surged. Travelers who require wheelchairs have expressed their frustration with the lack of accessibility. In July, Insider interviewed a Delta passenger who had to wait for over an hour on the plane because the airline couldn’t locate his wheelchair.
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