Ryanair has issued a stark warning to passengers this summer: flights will not wait for those caught up in new European border delays. The airline's boss Michael O'Leary said anyone not at the boarding gate when boarding finishes will be left behind.
No waiting for passport queues
Speaking on the Travel Expert with Simon Calder podcast, O'Leary stated: "We will not wait for anybody. If you are stuck, if you are not at the boarding gate when we finish boarding, the plane is going without you." He added that Ryanair is not delaying flights for people stuck in passport control queues, urging passengers to arrive earlier or be at the gate or they won't fly.
EES system causing chaos
The warning comes as the new Entry Exit System (EES) requires travellers to submit biometric data on arrival and departure, leading to longer queues at border controls. Many holidaymakers have waited hours, some missing connecting flights, transfers, or flights home due to the delays.
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." He noted the EES system "isn't working properly" and families are paying the price months after launch, urging EU member states to extend flexibilities to improve infrastructure and staffing.
Affected airports
The airline previously named 15 European airports with the longest delays: Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow and Budapest.
The EES system applies only to Schengen Area countries. EU members Republic of Ireland and Cyprus are not in the Schengen Area and are not affected.
