Ryanair scraps Afrikaans test imposed on S African travellers to UK

Ryanair has scrapped an Afrikaans language test it imposed on South African travellers to the UK after it prompted ridicule and accusations of racial discrimination by Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, said the airline was ending the test, which required South African nationals to answer general knowledge questions in the nation’s third most spoken language before they could board its planes, “because it doesn’t make any sense”.

South African travellers, many of whom do not speak Afrikaans, said they were baffled and humiliated by the test, which Ryanair had said was justified because of a rise in fake South African passports. South African nationals were refused entry to flights unless they answered the questions.

Ryanair’s policy stirred painful memories in South Africa, where Afrikaans was imposed on black South Africans under apartheid and the democratic constitution today safeguards 11 official languages as a result.

The Pan South African Language Board said Ryanair’s actions were “reminiscent of the old colonial and apartheid systematic subjugation of speakers of other languages, mainly black people, to racial and linguistic discrimination”.

On Thursday South Africa will mark the anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising, when apartheid police brutally suppressed student protests against Afrikaans instruction in the Johannesburg township’s schools.

O’Leary claimed travellers had “no difficulty completing” Afrikaans questions such as the name of South Africa’s president and its highest mountain. “But we didn’t think it was appropriate either,” he said.

South Africa’s home affairs ministry has recently highlighted cases of passport fraud that were allegedly abetted by its officials. It has said that it provides airlines with access to a screening system to quickly spot fake documents.

South Africa’s main opposition Democratic Alliance said it was “ridiculous to assess a South African’s citizenship by his or her ability to speak Afrikaans” but added that South Africa lacked controls on passport integrity.

O’Leary said Ryanair incurred fines for allowing travellers with false identities on its planes. “South Africa needs to fix its problems,” he said.

But South African travellers who took the test told the Financial Times the airline did not check other documents that would have verified their identity, such as visas and UK residency.

Travellers also said they were told the test was an official requirement despite neither the UK nor Ireland mandating language checks.