Ryanair has issued a stark warning to millions of UK families planning European holidays this summer, predicting hours of airport queue misery due to the ongoing disruptions caused by the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES).
The airline has identified numerous popular destinations across Europe where passengers are already experiencing significant delays at passport control. These EES "hotspots" include Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow, and Budapest. These are all frequent destinations for UK families traveling during the peak summer holiday season.
The EES, which officially began on April 10, requires non-EU citizens to have their fingerprints and photographs taken at EU borders. However, months after its implementation, many airports reportedly lack fully functional self-service kiosks, and staffing levels and infrastructure remain inadequate to handle peak passenger volumes. This has led to substantial delays, with some passengers missing flights.
Recent incidents highlight the system's impact. In April, approximately 100 easyJet customers were stranded at Milan Linate Airport, experiencing three-hour queues. An easyJet flight to Manchester was delayed by 52 minutes to accommodate affected passengers, but ultimately departed half-empty due to crew working hour limitations. Another incident involved a Ryanair flight from Milan Bergamo to Manchester, which departed on April 16 without several passengers who were delayed by passport control queues.
Ryanair's Chief Operations Officer, Neal McMahon, stated that families should be focused on vacation preparations rather than enduring prolonged queues. "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," McMahon said. "Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfinished border infrastructure."
The airline is supporting calls from EU Member States to extend current EES flexibilities until early 2027. This extension, Ryanair argues, would provide airports and border authorities with the necessary time to improve infrastructure, repair malfunctioning equipment, and increase staffing levels to ensure the system can operate efficiently. Ryanair advises UK passengers traveling to or transiting through affected European airports to allow ample extra time for their journeys and to be prepared for extended waits at passport control, where EES checks may involve passport scanning, fingerprint capture, and facial image verification.
Research suggests the EES could significantly impact tourism revenue. A study by Holiday Extras indicated that nearly £2 billion in British tourist spending could be diverted away from Schengen destinations by 2026 due to border control issues. One in 30 people have already altered their holiday plans because of these queues, with almost a fifth considering changes this year. Spain is projected to face the largest loss, estimated at £720 million, followed by France (£370 million) and Italy (£190 million).