The warning comes as the European Union‘s Entry/Exit System (EES) continues to create disruptions, months after its introduction.
The EES was first introduced in October last year, before the rollout ramped up on April 10.
The new system requires British travellers and other non-EU visitors to provide biometric data, including fingerprints and facial scans, when entering the Schengen Area.
The new EES has received significant backlash since its introduction, with it causing long waits for passengers at airports.
Some travellers have already experienced waits of up to six hours, and industry experts warn these disruptions could continue for up to two years.
Major airlines, including Jet2 and Ryanair, have called for the rollout of the new system to be suspended until after the summer to allow for a “smoother airport experience” during peak travel season.
CEO of Malta Air, David O’Brien, even threatened to pull all flights to Malta due to the extended wait times caused by the EES at airports.
EES to cause long queues at these 16 major airports this summer
Brits heading to Europe this summer have been told to expect more delays due to the EES.
Ryanair has outlined 16 European Airports where travellers can expect “significant” queues:
- Tenerife South
- Palma/Majorca
- Alicante
- Malaga
- Milan Bergamo
- Krakow
- Paris Beauvais
- Lisbon
- Madrid
- Lanzarote
- Milan Malpensa
- Verona
- Berlin
- Cologne
- Frankfurt Hahn
- Budapest
Chief operations officer at Ryanair, Neal McMahon, said: “Families heading away for a well-earned summer holiday should be thinking about suitcases, suncream and sangria, not standing in passport queues for hours.
“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.
“Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfished border infrastructure.”
Mr McMahon has backed calls from EU Member States to extend current EES flexibilities into early 2027.
This extension would give airports and border authorities more time to fix malfunctioning kiosks, increase staffing levels, and ensure the system can operate efficiently before full enforcement is introduced.
He said: “We support calls from EU Member States to urgently extend the EES flexibilities.
“This will give airports and border authorities the time to improve the infrastructure, fix the broken devices and hire more staff so that families can travel through Europe without disruption.”
Ryanair has advised UK passengers travelling to and from non-Schengen destinations, or transiting through affected European airports, to allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for lengthy waits at passport control.
ETIAS launch delayed until 2027
Meanwhile, the launch of the EU’s new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) has been delayed until 2027.
The ETIAS is a pre-authorisation scheme which will apply to UK passport holders and other visa-exempt travellers entering 30 European countries for short stays.
Applicants will be required to pay a €20 fee, though travellers under 18 or over 70 will be exempt.
The ETIAS was expected to launch later this year, but it has now been delayed until 2027, according to the Financial Times.
The decision is due to “technical glitches” and delays with the EES, which only recently came online after being postponed from 2022.
EU home affairs commissioner, Magnus Brunner, said the delays were due to “other factors”, including insufficient staff or lack of adequate infrastructure.
EU-Lisa, the agency responsible for ETIAS, has reportedly acknowledged that “launching it by the end of this year as planned was no longer feasible”.
The European Commission will set the official launch date only after EU-Lisa confirms the system has been fully tested and is ready.
A commission spokesperson said: “Preparations for the launch of ETIAS are ongoing.
“Obviously, as with any large-scale IT system, many factors come into play when deciding when to launch it.”
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