The Ryanair flight to Marrakech takes off leaving 40 passengers on the ground in Tours

The incident occurred as the aircraft was about to fly to the ochre city. While some of the passengers were still making their way to the plane on foot, the captain ordered the doors to be closed definitively so as not to miss the take-off slot, leaving the latecomers powerless on the runway.

In accordance with international safety protocols, the luggage of the passengers left on the ground had to be identified and unloaded from the hold before departure. Once the flight procedures were officially initiated, the crew was no longer authorized to reopen access to the aircraft, sealing the fate of the passengers stranded outside, France Bleu reports.

The management of Tours-Val de Loire airport, which describes the situation as "regrettable", points to an accumulation of exceptional factors. An unexpected check by the gendarmerie as well as the new formalities related to the European Entry/Exit System (EES) would have considerably slowed down the flow of passengers to the plane.

"The plane left without us," testified one of the passengers, still in shock at seeing the plane roll towards the runway while he was in the immediate vicinity. The victims of this hasty departure now hope to obtain a refund of the expenses incurred, although the airport specifies that the requests will be examined on a case-by-case basis.