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The majority of the 156 passengers booked on an easyJet flight from Milan Linate Airport (LIN) in northern Italy to Manchester (MAN) in the northwest of England were left behind yesterday after getting stuck in lengthy queues at the Italian border. New checks significantly slowed the process, and even passengers who claimed to have arrived three and a half hours before departure are said to have missed the flight as a result.
The European Union’s new entry-exit system (EES) was at the heart of the chaos. While this was marketed as a slicker border experience that would make use of biometric data to expedite immigration procedures, its rollout and enforcement have left a lot to be desired. Let’s examine what happened, and why.
Under A Quarter Of The Booked Passengers Made The Flight
easyJet flight U2-5420 is a regularly scheduled international passenger flight from Milan Linate to Manchester Airport. Per Flightradar24, its rotation yesterday (Sunday, April 12) was operated by an Airbus A319, with data from aeroLOPA showing that these jets have 156 economy seats on board. On yesterday’s flight, all 156 seats had been sold, but, according to The Independent, only 34 passengers were on board when the jet took off.
This represents a load factor of just 21.8%, compared to easyJet’s typical average of 92.4% (Q4 2025). The reason for the missing masses, as noted by The Independent and the BBC, was lengthy border controls due to new checks, with wait times said to have been in the region of three hours. A spokesperson for easyJet told Simple Flying that “while this is outside of our control, we are sorry for any inconvenience caused.” They added that:
“We continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed while EES is implemented, to avoid these unacceptable border delays.”
The Flight Was Delayed To Accommodate More Passengers
A quick look at tracking data made available by Flightradar24 shows that the aircraft operating the flight, an easyJet Europe Airbus A319-100 that bears the registration OE-LQI, actually left Milan Linate Airport almost an hour late, at 11:59 am local time, as opposed to 11:00 am. This, easyJet told Simple Flying, was the result of a deliberate hold, which was put in place “to give passengers extra time” to make the flight in light of the delays.
Ultimately, however, with the flight’s crew getting closer and closer to their hour limits, the service was forced to depart, despite only 34 passengers having made it on board. After an hour and 42 minutes in the air, it landed in Manchester at 12:41 local time, against a scheduled arrival of 12:15. The jet was soon able to make back this delay, with all of the flights that it has since operated having arrived within 15 minutes of their scheduled time.
While the situation was ultimately out of easyJet’s hands due to the delays at passport control and limits to crew operating hours, the airline has confirmed that “customers who missed the flight have been offered a free flight transfer.” However, some passengers looking to get home sooner had to spend more.
2 Extra Inches On 237 Aircraft: easyJet Orders New Airbus A320neo Seats As Newcastle Base Opens
The British low-cost carrier is investing heavily in its fleet and network.
Expensive Rebooking Options
Indeed, according to The Independent, one family that missed the flight despite arriving nearly three hours early was told that the next available easyJet service would not be for another five days. This prompted them to spend £1,600 ($2,150) between the three of them on a connecting route via Luxembourg (LUX).
Even that alternative stands to see them arrive home 24 hours behind schedule, but that delay pales in comparison to the five-day wait that they would reportedly have had to endure for the next easyJet service. Elsewhere, another passenger told the BBC that they had to pay £520 for new flights back to the UK, with them and their partner having to fly to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) instead. Gatwick is around 225 miles (362 km) from Manchester.
