Ryanair has issued a caution to families planning to travel during the summer season. The low-cost carrier criticized the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), stating that the system is not adequately prepared for the upcoming end-of-school-term travel rush, when millions of families are expected to journey across Europe for their summer vacations.
The airline has urged European governments to halt the implementation of EES until September, post the peak travel period, to avoid prolonged and unnecessary passport control queues that could inconvenience passengers, including families with young children.
This call to action from Ryanair follows an online open letter released by leading representative bodies for Europe’s airports and airlines, highlighting that delays caused by EES have reached a critical stage. The industry groups, including ACI Europe, Airlines 4 Europe, and the International Air Transport Association, emphasized the challenges faced by passengers, with some enduring hours-long queues and flights being delayed due to passport control issues.
Specific instances, such as the chaos at Athens Airport where passengers reportedly missed their Ryanair flights despite EES gates being inactive, have further underscored the passport control system’s shortcomings.
Passengers traveling to non-Schengen destinations have been alerted by Ryanair about the anticipated longer queues at passport control and have been advised to arrive at the airport well in advance. The checks may involve passport scans, fingerprinting, and facial image capture, activities that Ryanair claims the current infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle during peak season due to staff shortages and system readiness.
The airline pointed out major disruptions at airports like Tenerife South, Palma, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Krakow, and Paris Beauvais, with predictions of increased congestion in the upcoming busy summer weeks.
Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s Chief Operations Officer, emphasized the necessity of postponing EES until September to prevent passengers and families from facing the brunt of a flawed passport control system during the peak summer travel period. He urged European governments to emulate countries like Greece and delay the implementation to ensure a smoother travel experience for holidaymakers and airport operations.
