Two elderly passengers who contracted the service for people with reduced mobility, known as PMR, at César Manrique Airport were left on the ground after they were forgotten at the Lanzarote aerodrome. The events took place this past Thursday on flight EZY3364 of the company EasyJetU2 that departed from the island with destination Liverpool.
According to witnesses who spoke to La Voz, these two people "were abandoned and forgotten at boarding time, which caused them great distress." The company responsible for PMR assistance is Mitie, a subcontractor of Aena. The public company has assured that "it is investigating what happened with the company responsible for the service" and that it will "act accordingly, in accordance with the current conditions of the contract."
Likewise, "after a long waiting period," the passengers were relocated on another flight, with another airline. Aena points out that "Mitie sought an immediate solution so that passengers could reach their destination as soon as possible." In a letter addressed to La Voz, witnesses to what happened have pointed out that "fortunately, the situation did not escalate," but that "this incident underscores the serious deficiencies in the management of the assistance service for people with reduced mobility in some airports."
Aena has indicated that the assistance service for people with reduced mobility in Lanzarote "is generally a very well-valued service," and that it has a "very high demand." According to data from the public company, 91,000 assistances were provided in 2024, with 0.01% of claims. At the same time, it indicates that the operation and quality of the service are "explicitly audited by the State Aviation Safety Agency."
In this sense, the same witnesses denounce "the serious precariousness of the PMR service at Lanzarote Airport, which faces an overload of work and a shortage of staff, which is causing a collapse in the quality of the service." Meanwhile, they highlight that testimonies from employees reveal that "working conditions are extremely difficult, with exhausting days, constant pressure and a lack of staff, which directly affects the treatment of passengers."
