Ryanair has cautioned British families to brace themselves for extended passport queues and airport delays stemming from the European Union’s new automated border control system. The budget airline highlighted that the Entry/Exit System (EES), a digital replacement for physical passport stamps, has caused ongoing disruptions since its full implementation on April 10.
Specifically, Ryanair pointed out that fifteen destinations are currently experiencing significant delays due to sluggish processing and extensive passport control queues during both arrivals and departures. The airline emphasized that with schools now on summer break and passenger numbers at peak levels, the flawed EES rollout is expected to lead to unnecessary delays and long queues for UK families.
Months after the launch of EES, many airports are still lacking fully operational self-service kiosks, while the border staffing and infrastructure remain insufficient to handle the surge in passenger traffic. Consequently, the situation has resulted in avoidable delays, extended queues, and added stress for UK travelers during the busiest holiday period of the year.
Ryanair advised UK passengers traveling to and from non-Schengen destinations or transiting through affected European airports to anticipate prolonged waits at passport control. The new EES checks may entail passport scanning, fingerprint capture, and facial image verification.
In response to the challenges posed by the system, Ryanair is backing calls from EU Member States to extend the current EES flexibilities until early 2027. This extension would provide airports with more time to address malfunctioning kiosks, bolster staff numbers, and ensure the system operates smoothly before full enforcement is enforced.
Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s Chief Operations Officer, stressed the importance of resolving the issues, stating that families should be focusing on holiday preparations rather than enduring lengthy passport queues. McMahon emphasized that passengers should not bear the brunt of an ineffective border infrastructure testing phase and supported the urgent extension of EES flexibilities to facilitate seamless travel for families in Europe.
Ryanair identified fifteen locations where passengers are encountering recurring EES hotspots, resulting in substantial delays due to slow processing times and excessive passport control queues.