A Ryanair flight scheduled for April 14 from Vatry airport in France to Marrakech took off without any passengers on board.
The 192 travelers who had booked tickets were unable to board the plane due to a security issue, as reported by Le Figaro and ICI Grand Est.
According to airport authorities, on the day of departure, the security personnel responsible for passenger screening and filtering at boarding were not present. A large number of employees of the security provider "Sécurus" were on sick leave, and sending a replacement team was not possible in time.
"At the time we opened passenger check-in, there was no security team. I found out they were all on sick leave," said Fabrice Pauquet, director of Vatry airport, to ICI Grand Est.
In the absence of security checks, the airline was forced to operate the flight without passengers.
The airport management claims that the responsibility for any compensation does not fall on them, but on the handling operator, who is expected to recover them from the security provider.
Ryanair informed passengers that they cannot receive compensation in case of cancellations due to reasons beyond the company's control, such as strikes or similar situations. However, passengers argue that it was not a strike, but a lack of personnel.
The incident has sparked strong dissatisfaction among those affected. A passenger, who says she spent nearly 1,500 euros on tickets, stated that the trip was planned to celebrate her daughter's disability anniversary and described the situation as deeply disappointing.