Ryanair has issued an urgent warning to UK families with flights booked to 15 European airports, advising them to expect major delays at passport control this summer due to the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES). The airline stated that the system is causing "unnecessary delays and long queues" for passengers, particularly at key travel hubs.
Affected Airports and Recurring Hotspots
Ryanair identified 15 airports as recurring 'EES hotspots' where passengers face significant delays on both arrivals and departures. These include Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow, and Budapest. The airline noted that months after the EES went live, many airports still lack fully functioning self-service kiosks, and border staffing levels remain inadequate to handle peak passenger volumes.
Impact on UK Travellers
The EES, launched in the Schengen area on April 10, requires first-time users to register fingerprints and facial images into a biometric system. While the data is stored for three years to streamline future crossings, current implementation issues have led to hours-long queues, with some passengers missing flights. 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. The reality is that the EES system isn’t working properly and families are paying the price for a system that does not work months after launch."
Calls for Delay and Infrastructure Fixes
Ryanair is advising UK passengers travelling to or transiting through affected airports to allow extra time and prepare for extended waits, where EES checks may involve passport scanning, fingerprint capture, and facial image verification. The airline supports calls from EU Member States to extend EES flexibilities into early 2027, allowing time to fix malfunctioning kiosks, increase staffing, and ensure efficient operation before full enforcement. McMahon added: "Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfinished border infrastructure." European airports and airlines have also urged the European Commission to suspend the digital system until September.
