Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has announced that the airline will not delay flights for passengers encountering significant queues at European border controls. The new digital border system, the Entry/Exit System (EES), was fully implemented in April, leading to extended wait times and missed flights at airports across Europe. O'Leary stated, "We will not wait for anybody, our priority is those passengers who are at the boarding gate when boarding starts."
The EES is a digital system for non-EU nationals, including UK citizens, entering the Schengen Area, which comprises 29 countries. Ryanair has been a vocal critic of the system's rollout, warning of potential disruptions and advocating for a temporary suspension during the peak summer travel season.
"If you're not at the boarding gate when we finish boarding, the plane is going without you," O'Leary said, emphasizing that passengers have no recourse if they miss their flight due to border delays. He urged travelers to arrive at airports earlier to account for potential delays.
Recent incidents highlight the challenges passengers are facing. In May, a Ryanair flight from Toulouse to London departed without approximately 150 passengers who were unable to reach their gate on time due to extensive queues. One passenger described the airport situation as "pure chaos" with a lack of organization.
O'Leary identified Lisbon, Madrid, and Athens as airports experiencing particularly severe EES queues, with wait times sometimes exceeding two to three hours. Ryanair had previously urged the 29 affected countries to suspend the EES until September to alleviate pressure during the busy summer months.
The airline has also pointed to specific issues in Spain, citing a lack of adequate staffing and system readiness at airports like Alicante, which a police union reported is being pushed to its limits. Málaga Airport has also seen disruptions, with one British holidaymaker and her daughter reportedly stranded for 24 hours after missing their flight, incurring an additional £1,000 in costs.
Ryanair has listed several airports in Spain and Italy, including Málaga, Alicante, Lanzarote, Tenerife South, Gran Canaria, Reus, Fuerteventura, Bergamo, Malpensa, Fiumicino, Ciampino, Venice, Turin, Palermo, Pisa, and Naples, as experiencing significant delays. In France, long queues have been reported at Beauvais, Marseille, and Nantes airports.
In a separate incident unrelated to the EES, a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen experienced a mid-air emergency when a passenger window dislodged at 20,000 feet. The aircraft returned to Thessaloniki, and the passenger received medical attention. A replacement aircraft was arranged to transport the remaining passengers to their destination.