British holidaymakers have voted Tenerife South and Lanzarote Airports as the worst in Europe for passport control delays, according to Canarian Weekly. The warning comes at the height of the Canary Islands’ peak tourist season, when thousands of British holidaymakers arrive every day.
Ryanair warns of EES disruptions
Earlier this month Ryanair warned millions of UK families travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for lengthy passport queues and airport delays caused by the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which continues to create disruption months after its introduction. The airline identified hotspots including Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow and Budapest.
The EES replaced manual passport stamping with a digital registration process for non-EU nationals. Although it began rolling out in October 2025, it became fully mandatory on April 10 this year.
Ryanair CEO: We won’t wait for delayed passengers
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said: “We will not wait for anybody. Our priority is to those passengers who are at the boarding gate when boarding starts. If you’re not at the boarding gate when we finish boarding, the plane is going without you.” He added: “We’re not delaying our flights for people who are stuck in passport control queues. They have to show up at the airport earlier [and] be at the boarding gate, otherwise they’re not flying.”
Which? ranks Tenerife South worst for EES queues
The consumer organisation Which? identified Tenerife South as the airport most frequently mentioned by travellers reporting long passport control queues linked to the EES, ranking it number one in a list of 11 airports.
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. Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfished border infrastructure.” He 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.”
Strikes at Palma Airport
UK travellers have been told to ‘only take hand luggage’ as strikes hit Mallorca’s Palma Airport. Staff responsible for maintaining baggage belts, sorting systems and tarmac vehicles, as well as attaching boarding bridges, are walking out. Swissport staff, who manage check-in desks, baggage handling and ramp services, are also planning strikes on July 28, August 1, 4 and 8 from 7am-12pm and 7pm-10pm in a dispute over pay and working conditions.
The airport warned passengers of possible disruption, especially on 28 July when strikes overlap. Under Spanish law, strikes cannot bring services to a standstill, but only 50% to 60% of international flights on ‘high-demand routes’ are guaranteed to operate, along with 100% of inter-islands flights and 70% to 80% of domestic flights. ‘Widespread’ cancellations are ‘unlikely’, the airport said, adding: “The most realistic impact for passengers will be longer waiting times and potential operational bottlenecks.”
