Disabled pensioner left stranded on plane

A disabled pensioner was left alone in his wheelchair on a plane for two hours after landing at an airport – forcing him to endure a five-hour journey home.

Ronald Owen-Smith, 86, was left on the stranded aircraft long after the other passengers had departed and missed his lift home.

The great grandfather had to take three buses, two trains and trek half-a-mile to get home and his daughter was so concerned about her father’s whereabouts that she reported him missing to the police.

Mr Owen-Smith was not collected from the Ryanair flight from Limoges in France to Leeds Bradford Airport, which landed at 3pm on October 3.

He was then left on the plane until 5pm waiting for wheelchair assistance and did not return home to Darlington, County Durham, until 10.30pm.

One train broke down in York and a replacement was so crowded Mr Owen-Smith was forced to stand.

His daughter Corinne Dingley, who lives in France and had originally helped him onto the flight, said: “He was left on the plane entirely on his own. It’s ridiculous. What about the security risks?

“Apparently the wheelchair assistance staff were overloaded and couldn’t meet the demand. It’s not good enough. The airport has apologised but I’ve asked them to reimburse the cost of my father’s flight.”

Mr Owen-Smith, a retired engineer, is hard of hearing and suffers mobility problems.

He had stayed with his daughter and her husband Donald for a month before the flight home.

A Leeds Bradford Airport spokeswoman said: “We are currently conducting a full investigation and are liaising with Mrs Dingley.

“The circumstance surrounding Mr Owen-Smith’s delayed transfer is exceptional and we have apologised to the family for any inconvenience caused.”

A spokesman for the airline said the service was provided by the airport and “clearly not Ryanair”.