Ryanair warns of long queues at 16 airports following EU rule change | World | News

Ryanair warned passengers to prepare for longer queues at border control after the European Union introduced new entry conditions. The bloc’s new digital Entry Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area of ​​29 European countries to register their fingerprints and photographs upon arrival. Information is checked upon departure.

EES, which was fully launched in April, involves people coming from third-party countries such as the UK to register their fingerprints and take a photo to enter the Schengen Area, which consists of 29 European countries, primarily the EU.

This led to hours-long queues at some European airports, and Ryanair criticized the “failed EES deployment” as unnecessary.

Earlier this month Ryanair identified popular European airports in Spain, Italy, France and Poland where passengers were suffering from long EES delays.

The airline warned that facilities were “not prepared” to handle high passenger volumes during the busy summer season due to “inadequate staffing, kiosks and system readiness”.

The company warned of 16 European airports where passengers could face “significant” queues.

Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Families heading off for a well-deserved summer holiday need to think about luggage, sunscreen and sangria rather than waiting hours in passport queues.

“The reality is that the EES system is not working properly and families are paying the price for a system that is not working months after it has been introduced.

“Travellers should not be the testing ground for incomplete border infrastructure.

“We support EU Member States’ calls to urgently expand EES flexibilities. This will give airports and border authorities time to improve infrastructure, repair broken devices and recruit more staff so families can travel across Europe without disruption.”

The Port of Dover’s boss has warned it will “face repeated periods of severe congestion” throughout the summer without more flexibility in the EES.

Chief executive Doug Bannister predicted that unless something changed, queuing cars would “spill out from the port for miles on the public highway”, adding that “the local impact could be dire”.

The port declared a “critical incident” during the May semester after the waiting time reached four and a half hours.

Shadow Home Secretary Matt Vickers complained about the “misleading attitude among EU colleagues” that the “EES is working just fine”.

He reiterated his call for the scheme to be stopped during the busy holiday season, adding: “The government must stand behind the interests of British travellers.”

Meanwhile, there are widespread reports that the launch of Etias, a new online system that provides pre-authorization for entry into the EU, will be delayed until next year.

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