By Jack Lyons

Copyright standard

A British tourist was deported from Morocco after Ryanair staff wouldn’t let her retrieve her passport from her plane seat.

Rebecca McCurry had just arrived in Marrakesh with three friends when she discovered she had left the essential travel document back on board.

Although the 22-year-old realised her mistake within “five minutes” of leaving the plane, she claims she was not allowed to go back aboard to retrieve it.

Ryanair staff reportedly told her that after “sweeping the plane” they had recovered nothing – however the airline later admitted in a statement that the passenger “misplaced their passport on board”.

Ms McCurry is adamant it’s “impossible” that staff did a proper sweep as she claims the passport was later found exactly where she left it on the return flight.

The holidaymaker, who suffers from chronic pain, claims she was under so much stress she “passed out multiple times” during the subsequent interrogation by “intimidating” border police.

She says police “laughed” at her and told her she may have to wait five days for a deportation flight to Edinburgh – despite the fact the plane she arrived in was still on the runway.

After three hours of questioning, Rebecca claims she was left to await her fate in a fast food chicken restaurant.

Ms McCurry, from Lochgilphead in Scotland, was eventually deported to Manchester Airport after the 11-hour ordeal – with her dad Brian driving six hours to pick her up.

The tourist claims it took another month of chasing after the incident in July to finally get her passport back in August.

The nanny is sharing her travel nightmare as a warning to others to ensure they always keep hold of their passport and other essential documents as it’s possible they will not be allowed to re-enter the plane.

She said: “Immediately after I got off the plane, I realised I had left my passport on my seat.

“Keeping my passport on me is my responsibility, obviously. But I was away from it for five minutes before I realised.

“I told a member of airport staff and they said it wasn’t a problem, and they’d let the people from Ryanair know.

“I said I was happy to get it myself, but they wouldn’t let me back on the plane.

“As time went on, I started to get a bit panicky.

“Then a staff member for Ryanair came back and said they searched the whole plane but it wasn’t there.

“I just knew that was impossible. I was taken away to be questioned by four male policemen.

“They were not being nice. They were being intimidating, laughing at me. They kept calling me ‘little girl’.

“They told me I was being deported but there might not be another flight back to Edinburgh for at least five days.

“I didn’t understand because the plane I arrived on – which was going back to Edinburgh – was still sat on the runway after nearly two hours.”

Ms McCurry suffers from chronic pain and said the experience caused her to flare up.

She said: “I was having muscle spasms and passing out from the stress and pain. I passed out multiple times.

“Since I look able-bodied, I think maybe they didn’t believe me – or they didn’t care to believe.

“Honestly it was terrifying. I did not feel like a person at all. It was just insane.

Thankfully, Ms McCurry knew someone who was getting the return flight to Edinburgh who was able to retrieve her passport from the plane.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “This passenger misplaced their passport onboard their flight from Edinburgh to Marrakesh on the 31 July and subsequently was denied entry into Marrakesh. ”

As requested by Marrakesh authorities, Ryanair reaccommodated this passenger onto the next available flight to the UK later that day.

“All passengers travelling with Ryanair must present the correct travel documentation for the country of destination as determined by that country, however it is each passenger’s responsibility to carry valid travel documents.

“In this case the passenger was required to present a passport upon arrival at Marrakesh Airport which they failed to do, and they were correctly denied entry to the country.

“Ryanair hands over all lost property to the lost and found office at each airport. Once the crew located this passenger’s passport, this passenger’s passport was handed over to lost property at Edinburgh Airport.”

The Office National des Aéroports in Morocco were contacted for comment.