Approximately 100 easyJet passengers faced severe distress and significant travel disruptions after being left stranded in Milan on Sunday, April 12, as their Manchester-bound flight departed without them.

The incident occurred at Milan's Linate airport, where massive queues, reportedly up to three hours long, developed at border control.

Passengers described being in 'sweltering conditions' and were reportedly vomiting and fainting due to the extreme heat, with some feeling 'close to passing out'.

The chaos stemmed from the introduction of new border control checks, specifically the EU entry and exit system (EES).

This digital system is designed to supersede the physical stamping of passports for travellers to the European Schengen area, potentially requiring biometric information upon arrival.

However, on this particular day, the EES was reportedly not functioning correctly, forcing all passengers to undergo manual checks by two passport control officers, which drastically slowed processing times.

Despite passengers arriving with ample time, many found themselves stuck in these extensive queues.

Emily Benn, from Grimsby, was among those affected. She and five others arrived at the airport at 8 am for their 11 am flight.

Upon reaching their gate, they found a huge queue for three separate flights, with hundreds of passengers attempting to pass through.

By 11:20 am, they were informed their flight, EJU5420, had departed without them.

easyJet acknowledged the longer-than-usual waiting times at passport control, stating the circumstances were 'outside of our control'.

The airline explained that it held the aircraft for nearly an hour beyond its scheduled departure time to allow passengers more time to clear border checks.

However, due to strict crew working time regulations, the flight ultimately had to take off, with only 34 passengers reportedly onboard, leaving 122 behind in Milan.

Stranded passengers were bussed back to the arrivals area and directed to the easyJet desk to rebook.

Emily Benn and her group were forced to book a replacement flight to Gatwick, incurring an additional £400 taxi fare to return to Manchester, where their car was parked.

The situation was particularly stressful for her family, as her child was due to undergo spinal surgery within days. Fellow passengers took to social media to label the ordeal a 'nightmare'.

easyJet has offered customers who missed the flight a free flight transfer and apologized for any inconvenience caused.

The airline continues to urge border authorities to utilize permitted flexibilities during the EES implementation phase to prevent such unacceptable delays for travellers in the future.