Ryanair has warned of summer 'queue chaos' at EU airports due to new fingerprint checks under the Entry/Exit System (EES), as the European Commission invited the air industry to an urgent meeting next Tuesday to discuss concerns.
Airline Calls for Suspension of Half-Baked System
The airline, Europe's largest, said passengers on well-deserved breaks should not be used as 'guinea pigs' for a system that is not ready. Ryanair urged suspension until September in the 'most exposed countries', claiming current infrastructure cannot handle expected high passenger volumes from mid-July.
Neal McMahon, Ryanair's chief operating officer, said: 'It is clear that the EES is still not ready for peak summer volumes. Passengers and families should not be used as guinea pigs for a half-baked passport control system that risks creating long queues, missed flights and unnecessary stress at airports this summer.'
Seven Airports Already Experiencing Disruptions
Ryanair listed seven airports already 'experiencing major disruptions': Tenerife South, Palma, Alicante and Málaga in Spain; Milan Bergamo in Italy; Krakow in Poland; and Paris Beauvais in France.
Industry Pleads for Delay
Airlines for Europe and Airports Council International have asked the European Commission to suspend the new border controls 'at least throughout July and August' but potentially for a full year until next summer. They are concerned that airports are not ready to cope with peak season influx, staff face abuse as queues build, and the travel industry will be hit hard.
In a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, the air travel industry said the system is 'creating several operational consequences' and called for 'immediate intervention before the situation deteriorates further' with border authorities, airports and airlines under unsustainable pressure.
EU Response and Statistics
The EU has said airports can suspend EES checks at any time in July and August if queues build up, and will deploy support border staff if necessary. Officials said checks take an average of 70 seconds and most airports are not experiencing major issues. The EU has recorded over 100 million entries and exits out of an estimated 200-300 million border crossings per year, with some countries like France, Italy and Greece not implementing the system fully or partly.
An EU spokesperson said: 'In view of the coming summer period, we have called for another urgent meeting with member states and representatives of the industry to take place as soon as possible in the next days.'
Queue Reports and Upcoming Meeting
Recent weeks have seen long queues at some airports, causing missed flights and planes leaving half full. The boss of Berlin airport, Aletta von Massenbach, said non-EU citizens face queues of up to two hours, calling the situation 'not bearable over the summer'. The European Commission will invite airport and airline representatives to a meeting next Tuesday. Under EU rules, member states are free to opt out until September, but must then implement the system fully. Industry groups will urge the Commission to push back full implementation until summer 2027.
