- A flight from France to Scotland left behind a passenger with a wheelchair on September 19.
- Ryanair passed the blame onto Bordeaux Airport in a statement sent to Insider Saturday.
Ryanair and a French airport traded pointed remarks after a flight from France to Scotland left behind a passenger with a wheelchair.
A representative for Ryanair told Insider Saturday that the incident occurred on September 19 when a flight was scheduled to leave Bordeaux Airport for Edinburgh. At the time of writing, Insider was unable to ascertain the passenger's identity.
In their statement, the budget airline called the mishap "unacceptable" and pointed to Bordeaux Airport. "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," the statement read.
The statement says Bordeaux Airport staffers told Ryanair crew members that all passengers were on board when that wasn't the case.
"Ground staff at Bordeaux Airport realised their error and notified the crew who returned to stand in order to board 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 recur," the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, a representative for Bordeaux Airport didn't mince words in a statement shared with Insider Monday.
Bordeaux Airport's rep said Ryanair's claims are "false and defamatory." The statement says the passenger requested wheelchair assistance from Ryanair and received an assigned agent through a company contracted by the airport.
"When boarding for the flight to Edinburgh began, all passengers were directed towards the aircraft by Ryanair's service provider," the statement continued. "The passenger in the wheelchair and her companion were present in the boarding lounge at this time, visible to Ryanair staff and under their responsibility."
The statement acknowledged that the agent in charge of escorting the passenger from the boarding gate to the aircraft "should have arrived sooner," but remained firm they were not liable.
"It is highly regrettable that the airline has taken the liberty of describing a situation without speaking to us beforehand, placing the blame for a fault of its own on the airport," the statement concluded.
Travel chaos and mishaps accumulated over the summer months as vacation travel ramped up. Travelers who use wheelchairs also vocalized their frustration with the lack of accessibility. In July, Insider's Jyoti Mann spoke to a Delta passenger who said he waited on the plane for over an hour after the airline couldn't locate his wheelchair.