An autistic boy was left "petrified" after being forced to take a Covid test upon boarding a Ryanair flight - despite having proof that he is medically exempt.
Callum Hollingsworth, 12, had been through a difficult time during the pandemic, and so his family booked a getaway holiday to Valencia, his "happy place".
His mum Katy, from Harlow in Essex, explained that she had told Callum - who also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - he would have to take one Covid test in order for them to board the flight to Spain, the BBC reports.
He agreed to it, but it took them two whole months to prepare him for the uncomfortable swab, while a previous one in January had been a "nightmare".
So when he was suddenly told he had to undergo yet another test in order to get home to the UK on August 3, Callum "lost it" and had a "meltdown", his mum said.
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"They said if you don't have a Covid test you can't go home, so we had no choice," said Ms Hollingsworth.
"He started hitting the chair and then started hitting himself."
Ms Hollingsworth explained how she had tried to tell Ryanair staff that her son was exempt, and had showed them proof.
But Ryanair staff refused to recognise the exemption, which Ms Hollingsworth had applied for in January because of how much her son struggled with tests.
"The staff were just ignoring us. All they kept saying was 'it's not our problem'," she said.
Under government guidelines, people are exempt if they have a medical condition which means they cannot take a test.
Those who are exempt must present a note from a medical practitioner at check in and to Border Force Staff on arrival in England, the government's website adds.
Ryanair said in a statement it "regrets to hear of the stress" caused to the family.
A spokesperson for the airline told the Mirror: "Ryanair fully complies with EU and government travel restrictions, which are constantly changing in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We continue to make improvements and implement procedures to ensure the health and safety of our passengers and our crew is prioritised while complying with each country's government guidelines at all times."
