"The plane will not wait for you": Queues at European airports have tripled - passengers are missing flights
The new EES screening system is causing massive queues at European airports, leading to missed flights. Ryanair and Wizz Air warn passengers to arrive much earlier than usual as the system struggles months after launch.
The situation with queues at European airports has become critical due to the new EES screening system. There is growing discussion across the continent about potentially suspending the procedure due to the widespread chaos and the increasing number of passengers missing their flights.
As of today, 29 European countries are performing biometric registration, which includes facial photography and fingerprinting for arriving tourists. With the official start of the summer season, experts report that waiting times have tripled. Ryanair, one of Europe's largest low-cost carriers, has identified 16 airports as problematic EES hubs where significant delays are occurring. Among the affected destinations are Tenerife, Lanzarote, Alicante, and Malaga, as well as Madrid, Krakow, Budapest, Lisbon, Athens, Berlin, and Paris.
"Families going on summer vacation need to be prepared for long queues," said Neal McMahon, Chief Operations Officer of Ryanair. "The reality is that the EES system is not working properly months after its launch. Passengers should not be guinea pigs for unfinished border infrastructure." Ryanair is calling for an extension of the system's flexibility until 2028 to allow airports time to improve infrastructure, fix faulty devices, and recruit more staff.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary was blunt regarding passengers delayed by these queues: "We will not wait for anyone. Our priority is the passengers who are at the boarding gate when boarding begins. If you are not at the gate when we finish boarding at the scheduled time, the plane will take off without you." When asked about passenger rights in such situations, O'Leary replied: "You have no rights, and it is unfortunate, but we do not delay our flights for people stuck in passport control queues."
In May, a Ryanair flight from Toulouse to London departed without 150 passengers who were unable to clear border control in time. One passenger described the scene as "total chaos," noting that after security, hundreds of people were left in a disorganized area.
Wizz Air has also issued warnings regarding queue-related delays. Yvonne Moynihan, a senior executive at the company, advised passengers to arrive at least an hour earlier than the standard recommendation, to bring water, and to ensure their phones are fully charged.
