Ryanair fury as disabled passenger refused boarding over passport: 'It's ruined our birthday holiday'

The couple, from Wythenshawe, had to watch their flight depart without them despite successfully using the passport earlier at check-in and for duty-free purchases.

Sebastien, who is also Abriella's carer, was turned away at the boarding gate by airline staff.

The issue arose when glue appeared to have worked loose on a page of Sebastien's passport, resulting in a small tear along its spine.

Ryanair said he was "correctly refused travel" as the passport was ripped on the identification page at the seam and across the page.

The couple insisted the passport should have been accepted, noting that all details and his photograph were clearly visible. The passport was fully in date, and Abriella said it had been kept safely in a folder alongside other important documents like birth certificates and medical notes.

The couple arrived at Manchester Airport at 3.45am for their 5.50am Ryanair flight FR1249.

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"We checked in at special assistance check-in. We showed our boarding passes and our passports and there was no problem," said Abriella.

She explained they successfully checked in their luggage and wheelchair, and Sebastien used his passport to exchange money at Travelex and purchase duty-free items.

However, at the boarding gate, while Abriella was cleared to travel, a staff member took "a two second look" at Sebastien's passport before refusing him entry.

"We tried to reason with him and asked to speak to someone higher up, but it was no use," she said.

After being denied boarding, the couple had to go through Border Force to exit the airport. Border Force officers told them Sebastien's passport was perfectly valid for travel, according to Abriella.

The couple then faced an hour-long wait to retrieve their checked luggage and Abriella's wheelchair, which had been removed from the plane."We will definitely be complaining to Ryanair as soon as we get home. The passport is just slightly torn. We can fully see his details, passport number and his photograph," Abriella said.

They now face a trip to HM Passport Office in Liverpool to try to salvage their holiday.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "The UK Passport Office defines what constitutes as a damaged passport, not Ryanair. This passenger was correctly refused travel from Manchester to Tenerife (8 January) as his passport was damaged and therefore not valid for travel."