EastEnders star Tracy-Ann Oberman has revealed she was unable to board a flight to Spain after an EU passport rule left her grounded, despite her passport showing an expiry date in 2027.

Celebrity airport shock over passport issue

Former EastEnders actor Tracy-Ann Oberman says Ryanair airline staff refused to let her travel after deciding her passport did not meet European Union entry requirements, even though it appeared to have almost two years left before it expired.

Sharing her experience on social media, Oberman explained she had assumed her passport remained valid because of the printed expiry date. Checks before boarding revealed that its issue date, rather than the expiry date alone, meant it no longer qualified for travel to Spain under current EU rules.

Oberman’s experience shows how a passport can appear valid while failing to meet the entry requirements for many European destinations.

Why the 10-year passport rule catches travellers out

Current regulations require most UK passports used for travel to countries in the Schengen Area to have been issued less than 10 years before the date of arrival. Passports must also have at least three months’ validity remaining beyond the planned departure date.

Confusion often stems from older British passports that included extra months carried over from a previous document. Although those months still appear in the printed expiry date, they are not counted when calculating the passport’s age for entry into most EU countries.

Oberman’s experience is not an isolated case. Earlier this summer, a British mother was unable to board a flight to Greece after checks found her passport fell outside the EU’s validity rules despite its printed expiry date appearing to be valid. Both incidents show how confusion often centres on a passport’s issue date rather than the expiry date.

Check your passport before you fly

Holidaymakers travelling to Spain, France, Italy, Portugal or Greece should check both the passport’s issue date and expiry date well before leaving for the airport.

Taking a few minutes to confirm that a passport meets the EU’s entry requirements could help avoid expensive disruption, missed flights and the disappointment of seeing a long-planned holiday come to an unexpected end.

Ryanair flight FR1879 from Thessaloniki/Salonika in Greece to Memmingen in southern Germany turned into a scene of pure terror on Friday morning after part of the engine broke off and smashed straight through a cabin window.

Minutes into the journey the Boeing 737-8AS shook with a loud bang that sent shockwaves through the whole aircraft.

A 61-year-old man from Serbia who was sitting beside the shattered window got dragged halfway out into the freezing air by the explosive decompression. His wife and fellow passengers next to him fought to hold him back and stop him disappearing into the sky for good. Screams filled the cabin as oxygen masks dropped down from above while people grabbed at them in fear.

Pilots kept a steady head, spoke calmly to the crew and turned the plane straight back towards Thessaloniki Macedonia Airport in Greece.

Problem first seen while flying over North Macedonia

The crew spotted the engine issue while the plane passed over North Macedonia and realised they could not sort it out while still in the air. They called in an emergency and set course for the airport they had just left behind.

BREAKING: Ryanair passenger reportedly saved from being sucked out the cabin after window fails during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.

According to local media Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, returned safely to Greece on Friday after part of a damaged engine… pic.twitter.com/YPgRodjPFp

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 10, 2026

Ground teams got the message and were preparing for a possible rough landing with all emergency services on full alert. Firefighters, police and ambulances lined up ready in case anything went wrong on the return.

Plane touches down safely

Ground staff watched the safe touchdown before moving the aircraft to a special area away from the main terminal. Checks on the damage showed the engine had taken a real battering while the fuselage itself stayed intact with no big cracks or holes, except in the one window.

Injured passenger heads straight to hospital

A 61-year-old Serbian man reached AHEPA University General Hospital back in Thessaloniki, still in shock but awake, lucid and talking. Medics found friction burns across his body from the powerful pull of the air outside. He now faces a CT scan to rule out fractures or any deeper harm.

NEW: Ryanair passenger, 61, nearly sucked out of Greece–Germany flight after damaged engine debris shatters cabin window; suffers friction burns pic.twitter.com/L8cpxF1Ad9

— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) July 10, 2026

Another passenger asked for help on the ground and received treatment at the airport itself. Four travellers in all went for hospital checks just to be safe, with most getting the all clear and heading back to the airport for a replacement flight, while one stayed on for more tests.

Mimi, who was on the flight, said on X, “Thankfully we’re all (almost) at least physically ok and heading to Munich as we speak. The person near the window had a strong hit and is in the hospital right now. No more news at the moment.”

Replacement plane whisks passengers to their destination

Ryanair moved fast and brought in a second aircraft so everyone could still make it to Memmingen with as little delay as possible. The replacement flight took off from Thessaloniki at around 9.50am local time, carrying the original group minus those getting medical attention.

Aviation watchdogs launch probe into engine failure

Experts have started digging into what caused the engine part to come loose and strike the window so hard.

Ryanair said in a statement that the window was smashed during the flight, but the plane landed normally and all passengers returned to the terminal without further incident. Company bosses stressed they brought in the replacement flight quickly to keep disruption to a minimum for those on board.

Union officials later said the incident came close to a full tragedy as the passenger’s body ended up out in the rushing air until his wife and others dragged him back inside.

Remember to keep your seatbelt fastened at all times!

Five high-performance scents that bottle the light, salt and citrus of Europe’s most beautiful coastlines – ready to wear all summer long

There is no light quite like Mediterranean light – the kind that bounces off whitewashed walls, turns the sea a hundred shades of blue and ripens lemons until they almost glow. From the cliffs of Capri to the white villages of the Greek islands, Europe’s finest summer destinations have always smelled as unforgettable as they look: sun-warmed citrus, salt on the skin, rosemary baking in the heat.

The world of niche perfumes has spent decades trying to bottle exactly this – and the best of them work like a passport you can wear. Online, one of the finest places to discover them is 50 ml UK, an official store specialising in non-commercial, high-performance perfumery. Here are five niche perfumes inspired by Europe’s most beautiful coastlines – one for each destination, ready to carry the Mediterranean with you long after the tan has faded.

Carthusia A’mmare Eau de Parfum – Capri in a bottle

Few Italian perfumes capture the spirit of an island summer quite like A’mmare, born on Capri from the historic house of Carthusia. The name means “to the sea” in the local dialect, and the scent reads like a love affair that lasts exactly one perfect August. It opens on sparkling bergamot and aromatic rosemary, lifted by a crystalline note of sea salt that shimmers on the skin. A green heart of mint keeps everything cool and breezy, while a base of cedarwood, guaiac and musk grounds it like sun-warmed rock above the water. Luminous, saline and effortlessly chic, it is the closest thing to standing on a Caprese terrace with the whole bay spread out beneath you.

Simone Andreoli Zest di Sorrento Eau de Parfum – The lemons of the Amalfi Coast

Drive along the coast road from Sorrento to Amalfi and the air turns almost edible – all sweet citrus groves and warm stone. Zest di Sorrento bottles that exact stretch of coastline, a tribute to what many call the finest lemons in the world. The opening is a joyful explosion of lemon and lemon flower, so juicy and bright it practically fizzes, before delicate neroli adds a soft, floral elegance and a discreet base of woods lends staying power. Vibrant, sunlit and impossibly cheerful, it is summer in its most carefree form – perfect for anyone who wants to wear the Amalfi Coast on the days they cannot be there.

Oribe Côte d’Azur Eau de Parfum – Riviera glamour at golden hour

Cross the border into France and the mood shifts from rustic to glamorous – yachts in the harbour, linen on the terrace, the unmistakable polish of the French Riviera. Côte d’Azur, created for Oribe by one of France’s oldest perfume houses, captures that easy luxury beautifully. It opens with a radiant burst of Calabrian bergamot, lemon, blackcurrant and Sicilian orange, melting into an elegant floral heart of tuberose, cyclamen and white jasmine, before settling on a sophisticated base of vetiver, sandalwood and amber. Sunny yet refined, it is the scent of a long lunch that drifts into golden hour somewhere between Nice and Saint-Tropez.

Xerjoff Naxos Eau de Parfum – The golden soul of Sicily

For Sicily, there is only one place to begin: Naxos, Xerjoff’s love letter to the island and its legendary gardens running down to a crystalline sea. This is the Mediterranean at its most opulent. Fresh bergamot, lemon and lavender open with a bright citrus snap, before a sumptuous heart of cinnamon, golden honey and jasmine pours in like late-afternoon sun. A warm base of tobacco leaf, tonka bean and vanilla gives it depth and a seriously long-lasting trail. Sweet, sunlit and utterly addictive, Naxos is for travellers who want Sicily’s richness – honey, spice and citrus – bottled at full intensity.

Hellenist Les Dieux aux Bains Eau de Parfum – A dive into the Aegean

Close the journey in Greece, where Hellenist draws its inspiration from the myth-soaked waters of the Mediterranean – here, the legendary Baths of Aphrodite. Les Dieux aux Bains is a fresh, aromatic-aquatic fragrance built to feel like diving into cool, clear water on the hottest day of the year. Juniper berries, eucalyptus, lemon and rosemary open with a herbal, sea-breeze freshness, layered over luminous mineral notes that evoke wet stone and spray, before warm ambroxan and moss anchor it on the skin. Clean, regenerating and quietly elegant, it is the scent of a Greek island at first light – the perfect full stop to a summer spent chasing the sea.

From the saline shimmer of Capri to the cool blue of the Aegean, these five scents prove that the right fragrance is the lightest, most evocative souvenir you can pack. Citrus, salt, sunlit honey and clean Mediterranean water – five destinations you can wear on bare skin, all year round. Ready to build your own Mediterranean summer? Explore the full range of niche perfumes and bottles, your favourite corner of Europe.