Afterwards they found themselves ‘standing on the tarmac like sheep’
Ben Hurst and Greta Simpson
09:32, 20 Sep 2025
Passengers left waiting on the tarmac and in the terminal at Faro Airport overnight after a RyanAir cancellation. (Image: UGC/MEN )
A Stockport couple have vowed they will ‘never fly’ with Ryanair again after enduring a ‘nightmare’ ordeal. The pair jetted back to Manchester from Faro Airport in Portugal on Tuesday night (September 16).
They explained they were scheduled to take off at 10pm but found themselves ‘standing on the tarmac’ whilst the aircraft underwent inspection.
“We were made to stand there with no information at all, for nearly an hour, like sheep, with nobody telling us anything,” one of them said.
“Just after midnight, the pilot said there was a fault with the plane and that they were ‘really sorry but the flight was cancelled’. He said Ryanair would provide hotels and refreshments and told us all to go back to the gate.
“Then, as we were walking across the tarmac, we got a text message saying that the next flight will be at 6.05am. This was at about 1am by this point, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“They allege travellers were herded into the terminal, where they encountered three airport workers.” There was no accommodation – were told we would just have to wait there,” one of the couple added.
Passengers left waiting on the tarmac and in the terminal at Faro Airport overnight after a RyanAir cancellation. (Image: UGC /MEN)
“By this point the airport had closed so there were no cafes or shops open. You can’t expect people to sit there for six hours – what about giving people a drink and some refreshment? No one got anything.
“They claim passengers were shepherded into the terminal, where they were greeted by three airport staff. “There were 200 passengers – the elderly, disabled people, pregnant women – left to sleep on the terminal floor in the dark as they even turned the lights off. “By 6am, travellers were finally permitted to board the replacement aircraft.”
To make matters worse, they then charged full price for teas and coffees – after we had been up all night,” one passenger revealed.”It was chaos.
“You just couldn’t write it. “
The aircraft eventually departed at approximately 6.30am and touched down at Manchester Airport after 9.30am, with the couple by then ‘desperate for sleep’.”
They herded everybody into a sealed terminal, sitting on the floor with no food or drink, forced to wait until 6am,” one traveller explained.”We were treated like cattle and there was not one apology.
“It was an absolute nightmare and we will never fly with Ryanair again. “
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This flight from Faro to Manchester (17 Sept) was delayed due to ATC delays on the inbound flight to Faro, however due to a minor technical issue with the aircraft this flight was subsequently delayed overnight due to a strict curfew at Faro Airport and rescheduled to depart the following morning (18 Sept).
“”Passengers booked on this flight received communications via email, SMS and PUSH notifications. Passengers were notified of the delay, advised of their options, and were issued with refreshment vouchers.
“They claim passengers were shepherded into the terminal, where they were greeted by three airport staff. “Despite Ryanair’s efforts to arrange accommodation for passengers, availability was limited, and passengers were advised that they could also arrange individual accommodation that they could claim back receipted expenses on Ryanair. com.
“”This flight departed for Manchester the following day (18 Sept) at 06:05am local time. “.