Ryanair passenger 'stranded at empty Moroccan airport in 40C heat and no water'

30 August 2023 , 09:45

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A Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Marrakesh was diverted to Agadir, around 150 miles away (Image: Edinburgh Live)

A fuming Ryanair passenger has described being left stranded in a foreign airport in 40C heat after his flight was diverted unexpectedly.

Greg, who wishes to go by his first name only, says he and fellow passengers were left waiting for a bus for three hours by the airline after arriving in the Moroccan coastal resort of Agadir - a whopping 150 miles away from their intended destination of Marrakesh. The budget airline has since apologised to the passengers, and said they were forced to change the flight path last minute because of a thunderstorm.

The customer told Edinburgh Live that passengers were informed buses would be there to transport passengers to Marrakesh when they arrived at airport, which was completely empty at the time.

Greg has claimed passengers were left waiting for three hours in 40C heat with 'no water' (Edinburgh Live)

But once they were on the ground, he claims Ryanair staff 'shunned' any attempts to get more information, leaving '200 people' standing for hours in 40C heat without water. Greg said: "At Agadir airport, we were the only plane in the runway. There was no flights scheduled, so limited staff at the airport and no other travellers. There was no communication or representatives from Ryanair present after leaving the plane.

"The cabin crew were not interested in helping on the plane, and shunned any attempts to get information. It was 40 + degrees, and a nearly 200 people are waiting outside an airport three hours from their destination, yet no one from Ryanair is there to communicate, provide update or even provide water. It is a disgrace that Ryanair gave no support and just abandoned their customers.

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He said only "one bus" arrived about two hours after they landed with three more still to turn up, leading him and strangers also on the fight to share a three-hour taxi to Marrakech. Recalling his decision to leave, he said: "I think several others followed suit. Again, no one from Ryanair was available to check who was there etc. surely they'd want to tick off passengers on a list, similar to a fire drill. But no, Ryanair didn't bother communicating with their customers."

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "This flight from Edinburgh to Marrakesh (Aug 23) diverted to Agadir due to thunderstorms at Marrakesh Airport. The aircraft landed safely, and Ryanair organised multiple coaches to transport passengers to Marrakesh however, some passengers opted to make their own way to Marrakesh. Ryanair sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused due to this thunderstorm at Marrakesh Airport that was beyond Ryanair’s control."

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas