ryanair 24 passengers left behind when a flight from Tours to Marrakesh departed without them after extended security and border-control delays on March 11, 2026.
What happened at Tours on March 11?
A scheduled flight from Tours to Marrakesh was due to depart at 12: 15 ET but left the airport at 12: 57 ET, a 42-minute delay. Twenty-four travellers remained in the terminal while their luggage was removed from the aircraft before departure. Many passengers had spent long periods in security and border-control queues, with at least one passenger describing more than an hour and a half in customs and security and others queuing for around 90 minutes.
What Happens When Ryanair 24 Passengers Left Behind?
Airport operations and crew scheduling intersected with intensified border checks. Louis Chaumont, director of Tours Val de Loire airport, explained the pilot had an allocated takeoff slot and that if it was missed there was no certainty about when a new slot would be available; on that basis, the pilot closed the doors and departed. Chaumont identified two operational contributors: an unannounced gendarmerie inspection at the airport and increased checks tied to the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES).
The EES requirement affects non-EU travellers entering and leaving the Schengen area and has introduced biometric registration. Chaumont noted biometric checks can take three to four minutes per passenger, and that the phased rollout had set targets for French borders to be using EES with minimum registration thresholds already expected by early March. There are also acknowledged problems with registration kiosks and tablets that cast doubt on meeting full-operation deadlines.
- Immediate operational facts: Flight scheduled 12: 15 ET, departed 12: 57 ET; 24 passengers left behind and luggage offloaded.
- Primary causes cited by airport leadership: unannounced gendarmerie inspection and EES biometric registration delays.
- Passenger impact: long waits at customs/security (about 90 minutes to over 90 minutes in some accounts) and uncertainty over reimbursement while cases are examined individually.
What Next for Passengers and Regional Airports?
Airport staff are analysing each case to determine responsibility and Chaumont indicated passengers have contact details and “will not be left without a response. ” Travellers impacted are advised to keep copies of payment receipts and supporting documents while their situations are reviewed; no blanket refunds have been promised.
The incident highlights operational pressure points as biometric border controls expand. The EES rollout was intended to increase registration of travellers at French borders, with authorities aiming for higher levels of use by early March and full operation by the end of the month, but equipment and processing issues were noted as complicating that timetable. The combination of an unannounced inspection and lengthier per-passenger processing created a backlog that collided with a narrow aircraft takeoff window, prompting the captain’s decision to depart so as to preserve the slot.
For travellers planning through regional airports where EES queues could lengthen in coming weeks, the immediate practical advice is to allow extra time for customs and biometric registration, retain documentation of expenses, and engage with airport contacts while individual cases are assessed. Staff statements make clear the airport will review each passenger’s case to determine responsibility and response.
The final administrative and passenger outcomes remain under examination, and the episode underscores how procedural changes at border control can cascade into disruptive operational outcomes — in this instance culminating in ryanair 24 passengers left behind
