Ryanair scraps controversial Afrikaans language test for South African passengers

Ryanair has confirmed that South African travelers will no longer be required to take an Afrikaans language test to verify their nationality before flying to the UK.

The budget airline is abandoning the widely criticized policy after facing significant backlash from South Africans, with some accusing Ryanair of racial bias.

Ryanair's change of heart was revealed by CEO Michael O'Leary during a press briefing in Brussels on Tuesday.

"We realized it wasn't the right approach," O'Leary said, responding to questions about the test, which was introduced in response to a rise in fake South African passports. "The Afrikaans test has been scrapped because it was simply unnecessary."

O'Leary further remarked, "South Africa must address its internal issues."

A Ryanair spokesperson has since confirmed to Dinogo that O'Leary's statement regarding the cancellation of the Afrikaans test is accurate.

The test, which included questions on South African general knowledge, became public in May after a passenger flying from Portugal tweeted about being asked to complete "a two-page Afrikaans test" before boarding his flight to London.

‘Outdated profiling system’

The decision faced strong criticism, with many travelers pointing out on social media that South Africa recognizes 11 official languages, and many South Africans do not speak Afrikaans.

The South African Department of Home Affairs condemned the test earlier this month, calling it a “regressive profiling system.”

Ryanair had previously defended the test, citing the “high incidence” of fake South African passports as the reason for its introduction.

"To reduce the risk of counterfeit passports being used, Ryanair asked passengers traveling on South African passports to complete a brief questionnaire in Afrikaans," the airline explained.

Passengers who fail to complete the questionnaire will be denied boarding and provided with a full refund.

Afrikaans ranks as the third most spoken language in South Africa, following Zulu and Xhosa.