Ryanair has issued a warning to UK holidaymakers with flights booked to 15 European airports, cautioning that the new Entry-Exit System (EES) could cause significant delays and longer queues this summer. The airline has identified airports it considers worst-affected based on slow processing times and excessive passport control queues on both arrivals and departures.
Affected airports and EES impact
The airports flagged by Ryanair include Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow, and Budapest. The EES, an automated digital border control system, replaces traditional passport stamps by digitally registering non-EU travellers' entry and exit dates, along with biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images. Its implementation has been blamed for passenger delays.
Ryanair's criticism of the system
Ryanair has previously spoken out against the EES. The airline's chief operations officer, Neal McMahon, stated: "Families heading away for a well-earned summer holiday should be thinking about suitcases, suncream and sangria, not standing in passport queues for hours." He claimed the EES system "isn’t working properly and families are paying the price for a system that does not work months after launch." McMahon added: "Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfinished border infrastructure."
Calls for flexibility and improvements
Ryanair supports calls from EU Member States to urgently extend EES flexibilities, giving airports and border authorities time to improve infrastructure, fix broken devices, and hire more staff. The airline urges holidaymakers to allow extra time for their journey if heading to or from non-Schengen destinations or transiting through the affected airports.
