Ryanair has warned it could axe all of its flights to popular holiday destination Malta as a result of lengthy airport queues. Airports in the European country have been hit by delays and long waits as a result of the implementation of the new Entry/Exit System, known as EES.
The system has been slowly rolled out across Europe since October last year, with 29 countries now bringing in the new biometric border control process. The EES was fully implemented at airports across Europe by April 10, with all third-country nationals now required to register. But as predicted by many experts, the knock-on effect has been detrimental to travel, with long queues at destinations including Malta.
In Malta, reports have indicated queues have lasted around 40 minutes, according to the Express. David O'Brien, the CEO of Malta Air, a Ryanair subsidiary, told the Times of Malta: 'If we find ourselves with significant congestion and delay, we'd have to redirect capacity away from Malta to other destinations, and that's not something we'd like to do. Europe is utterly unprepared in a general sense. We hope Malta is prepared. We haven't reached summer peak yet.'
Budget airline Ryanair has expressed fears regarding queues in Malta. Lengthy waits at Malta International Airport, along with huge queues, have caused delays this year. David also wrote to Malta's Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri to ask for confirmation that border controls will be fully staffed during the busy summer period.
Alan Borg, CEO of Malta International Airport, also told the publication: 'We need to find ways to improve the processing time over the summer period. Summer is where Malta needs to shine.'
A statement from Malta International Airport said: 'We are aware of the concerns being raised about waiting times at immigration particularly during peak arrival periods, challenges which are also currently being faced by other airports across the European Union, and we fully understand the frustration this can cause for passengers and airline partners. While immigration controls fall under the responsibility of the Malta Police Force, we are working in close coordination with them to support efficient passenger flows. From our side, this includes providing the necessary infrastructure, aligning operational planning, and closely monitoring arrivals in real time. We remain in regular contact with airlines and other stakeholders to anticipate peak demand and respond quickly where needed. Malta continues to see strong demand, and we are confident that, through ongoing coordination, border processes will support both passenger experience and airline operations throughout the summer.'
The Daily Mail has contacted Ryanair for comment. The European hub is a popular destination for Brits travelling during the summer months, meaning any disruption will impact UK holidaymakers.
Malta is certainly not the only hub to be impacted by delays and queues as a result of the new EES system. The busiest, and potentially most affected, airport in Europe in recent weeks has been Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The new travel rules caused disruption last week, with passengers waiting to have their passports checked at Schiphol in Amsterdam taking to social media to report delays of up to two hours. One passenger in Amsterdam described 'elderly people and parents with toddlers' waiting in line for passport gates, 'hardly any' of which were open. The airport's website confirmed there were 'long delays'.
Meanwhile, in Portugal, there have been reports of delays at Humberto Delgado, Francisco Sá Carneiro, and Gago Coutinho airports in Lisbon, Porto and Faro respectively. One Reddit user said of Lisbon airport: 'Line was hours long stretching through the whole very long terminal and then outside... Security has stopped using the new system and were stamping passports as fast as they could.'
