Ryanair has issued a warning to UK families travelling to Europe this summer, advising them to prepare for lengthy passport queues and airport delays caused by the Entry/Exit System (EES). The airline described the situation as 'chaos' and said the system continues to create disruption months after its full implementation.
What is the EES?
The EES is an automated IT system designed to register non-EU nationals each time they cross the external borders of participating European countries. It records entries, exits, and entry refusals electronically, replacing the traditional physical passport stamp for non-EU visitors. The system has been gradually rolled out since October 2025 and was fully implemented by April 2026.
Impact on UK Families
With schools breaking for summer and passenger volumes at peak levels, Ryanair stated that the 'failed EES rollout is going to cause unnecessary delays and long queues for UK families.' The airline has identified recurring EES hotspots where passengers experience significant delays due to slow processing times and excessive passport control queues on both arrivals and departures.
These hotspots include Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow, and Budapest – all popular destinations for UK families during the peak summer holiday season.
Ryanair's Advice and Calls for Action
Ryanair advises UK passengers travelling to or from non-Schengen destinations, or transiting through affected European airports, to allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for extended waits at passport control. EES checks may require passport scanning, fingerprint capture, and facial image verification.
The airline has supported calls from EU Member States to urgently extend current EES flexibilities into early 2027. This would give airports and border authorities time to fix malfunctioning kiosks, increase staffing levels, and ensure the system can operate efficiently before full enforcement is introduced.
Chief Operations Officer for Ryanair, Neal McMahon, said: 'Families heading away for a well-earned summer holiday should be thinking about suitcases, sun cream 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. Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfinished border infrastructure.'
McMahon added: '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.'
European Commission Response
The European Commission (EC) has stated that disruption is limited at most EU airports and that it will continue to support member states in the system's implementation. The EC added: 'This support will continue to the fullest extent possible.'
