150 miss Toulouse to London flight due to airport queues
Long queues at border control leave travellers struggling to reach gates in time
A traveller at Toulouse estimates there were around 400 - 500 people waiting in the queues
Connexion reader and Stephen M Brooks/Shutterstock
A Ryanair flight from Toulouse to London departed on May 30 leaving some 150 passengers behind, after long queues at border control meant many were unable to reach their gate on time.
A passenger travelling with her children told The Connexion she was among those who just made it onto the flight, describing the situation at the airport as “pure chaos”.
Her flight was not the only one affected either. She said that four flights were due to board at around the same time, including services to Marrakesh, Tunisia, and two to London, leading to severe overcrowding at border control.
Check-in was busy but manageable, and security was relatively quick. However, delays began after this point.
By the time they reached border control, she estimates there were around 400 - 500 people in the area, with no clear organisation or separation between flights.
“There was no structure at the airport. There were people pushing at all times,” she said, adding that passengers with babies and vulnerable travellers were not prioritised and were instead caught in the crowd.
She described the situation as a “scrummage” rather than a queue, with passengers for different flights mixed together, including some whose flights were departing earlier or later than others.
Although she was unable to pinpoint exact timings, she estimated reaching border control around 60 - 70 minutes before departure.
Despite the presence of staff, she said there was little effective coordination. One member of staff was seemingly attempting to manage the crowd, but was unable to be heard over the number of passengers present.
When she finally reached the gate, she was able to board the flight just as it was closing, with only a handful of passengers passing behind her. Once on the plane, the pilot announced that approximately 150 passengers had not been able to board flight FR 282 to London Stansted.
She added that she does not blame Ryanair for the disruption, stating that the airline appeared to keep the gate open for as long as possible, and that the issue was not related to airline handling.
Instead, she believes the disruption came from border control and airport organisation, describing it as a situation that “was very avoidable. If there had been a system, it would have worked.”
The Connexion has contacted Toulouse-Blagnac Airport for comment and will update the article if a response is received.
Readers have also described long queues at border control in other French airports, occasionally resulting in delayed departures during busy periods.
For anyone travelling from France to the UK, it is advised to allow at least three hours before departure to ensure sufficient time to pass through border control and reach the gate.
