Passengers arriving at Edinburgh Airport on August 28 were left stuck on the plane as no driver was available to take them to the terminal.
Blaming the staff shortage at the airport, the aeroplane crew had to hold the agitated passengers on board for around two hours after landing, while trying to secure their transport.
Andrew Jensen, 25, who was one of the passengers on the Ryanair flight from Pisa, said: "When we landed, the doors were opened and the stairs put down, but we were informed that there was no ground crew to let us off the aircraft.
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"The flight was originally supposed to arrive at 19:45 but because of the wait it was close to 22:00, when we got off. The airport appeared to be doing little to communicate or accommodate the plane. The flight attendant even was yelling at some employees to get their attention to see if they could allow the plane to disembark.
"There were people on the plane getting angry, and one lady rushed off the plane but was stopped at the bottom of the stairs. A second guy attempted to get off as well but was also blocked by airport personnel from getting off."
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Soon after the incident, agitated passengers were allowed off the plane to walk the distance to the airport.
When approached for a comment regarding the incident, a Ryanair spokesperson said: "Due to staff shortages at Edinburgh Airport, passengers on this flight from Pisa to Edinburgh on August 28 were delayed disembarking for approximately one hour after they arrived at Edinburgh Airport.
"Staff shortages at Edinburgh Airport are entirely beyond Ryanair's control and affected multiple airlines travelling to and from Edinburgh Airport that day. Ryanair sincerely apologises to affected passengers for this regrettable delay which was entirely beyond our control."
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport, however, emphasised that Swissport is the company responsible for the ground logistics at the airport, and the firm is struggling with the staff shortages.
Commenting on the situation, a spokesperson for Swissport said: "We're sorry to hear about the delay experienced by these passengers, and we are looking into what has happened here.
"Airlines, airports, and aviation services all work together to deliver different elements of a single passenger journey, and in busy periods such as the current peak travel time, the knock-on effects of delays across the travel process, such as flights landing later than scheduled, can create challenging conditions for ground handlers.
"We understand this is a frustrating situation for passengers, and we're working closely with our airline and airport partners to manage these issues and improve turnaround times for passengers."
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