Ryanair has issued a warning to UK families about significant airport delays at 15 popular European destinations, attributing the disruption to the European Union's new digital border control system. The budget airline stated that the Entry/Exit System (EES), which replaced physical passport stamps with digital records on April 10, continues to cause 'slow processing times and excessive queues' months after its full implementation.
Affected Destinations and Summer Travel Impact
The airline identified 15 specific airports where passengers are facing recurring delays: Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow, and Budapest. Ryanair warned that with schools breaking for summer and passenger volumes peaking, the 'failed EES rollout' is causing unnecessary delays for UK families.
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.'
System Failures and Infrastructure Gaps
According to Ryanair, many airports still lack fully functioning self-service kiosks, and border staffing levels remain inadequate to handle peak volumes. The airline noted that the new EES checks require passengers to complete passport scanning, fingerprint capture, and facial image verification, which are contributing to longer wait times.
Ryanair is supporting calls from EU Member States to extend current EES flexibilities into early 2027, allowing airports more time to fix malfunctioning kiosks, increase staff numbers, and ensure smooth operation before full enforcement. McMahon added: 'Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfinished border infrastructure.'
Broader Implications for Travellers
The airline advised UK travellers going to non-Schengen destinations or transiting through affected airports to prepare for extended waits at passport control. The warning comes as millions of families plan summer holidays, with Ryanair emphasizing that the delays are avoidable and result from inadequate preparation by border authorities.
