Ryanair Issues Travel Warning for Families Flying to Spanish Holiday Destinations
Ryanair has warned millions of UK families flying to key Spanish hotspots this summer that they could face delays and longer queues due to the new Entry-Exit System (EES). The airline identified 15 European airports worst-affected by slow processing times and excessive passport control queues, including popular holiday destinations Lanzarote, Tenerife South, Alicante, Malaga, and Madrid.
The EES is an automated digital border control system that replaces traditional passport stamps for non-EU travellers entering the European Union and Schengen Area. It digitally registers entry and exit dates along with biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images. Implementation of the system has been blamed for passenger delays at airports across Europe.
List of Affected Airports
Ryanair's list of 15 airports with the most severe delays includes: Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow, and Budapest. The airline urges holidaymakers to allow extra time for their journeys if they are heading to or from non-Schengen destinations or transiting through these airports.
Passengers should be prepared for long passport control queues, as EES checks may require passport scanning, fingerprint capture, and facial image verification. Ryanair's chief operations officer Neal McMahon said: "Families heading away for a well-earned summer holiday should be thinking about suitcases, suncream and sangria, not standing in passport queues for hours."
Criticism of the EES System
McMahon claimed the EES system "isn’t working properly and families are paying the price for a system that does not work months after launch." He added: "Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfinished border infrastructure. We support calls from EU Member States to urgently extend the EES flexibilities. This will give airports and border authorities the time to improve the infrastructure, fix the broken devices and hire more staff so that families can travel through Europe without disruption."
The warning comes as millions of British families prepare for summer holidays to Spain and other European destinations. Ryanair advises passengers to check the latest travel advice and allow additional time at affected airports to avoid missing flights.
