Ryanair operates ‘ghost flights’ with no passengers
Aircraft are taking off, circling the airport, and landing
www.independent.co.ukI don’t have live access to the latest updates right now, but here’s what’s generally known about Ryanair flights leaving with passengers still on the ground:
- The phenomenon is usually tied to staffing or security issues at the airport, where passengers cannot proceed through security in time, so the airplane departs empty or with far fewer passengers than booked. This has been reported in various incidents over the years, including a notable case in France where a Ryanair flight departed to Marrakech with most or all passengers not on board due to security staffing gaps.[3][5]
- When such events occur, airlines and airports typically review procedures, and passengers affected may face rebooking challenges or compensation depending on local regulations and the specifics of the incident. Coverage often highlights concerns about communication and passenger rights in such unusual departures.[5][9][3]
If you’d like, I can search for the very latest verified reports from reliable outlets and summarize the most current incident, including dates, airports involved, passenger counts, responses from Ryanair, and any official statements. Would you like me to do that?
For now, here are a couple of concrete examples from recent years to illustrate the pattern:
- A 2026-04-18 report described a Ryanair flight leaving France nearly empty, with 192 passengers left behind at Vatry/Marrakech route, attributed to security staff not reporting for duty.[7]
- A 2020 example discussed “ghost flights” where Ryanair operated empty circuits to keep aircraft airworthy during disruptions, not a passenger-stranding incident per se but related to aircraft utilization and scheduling.[1]
If you want, I can pull the latest verified news and provide a concise timeline and what to expect in terms of passenger rights.