Ryanair is demanding that the European Commission extend the possibility of temporarily stopping the use of the Entry/Exit System, EES, until at least April 2027. The airline claims that the introduction has led to border queues of up to two to three hours at several major European airports.

The temporary exemption expired on September 6. It has allowed member states to temporarily withdraw from the EEA when the system risked causing serious congestion at border controls.

Ryanair now wants the European Commission to reinstate the flexibility and extend it until at least April next year.

According to the airline, the introduction of the EEA has led to longer processing times and queues at border controls. Ryanair states that waiting times during the summer periodically reached two to three hours at airports in Krakow, Lisbon, Milan and Rome, among others.

Points to technical and staffing problems

Ryanair claims that border authorities still have problems with, among other things, functioning self-service machines, staffing and long processing times.

The company therefore believes that member states need to retain the ability to temporarily stop the EEA during periods of particularly high load.

“Passengers should not have to pay the price for the EU’s failed rollout of the EEA. We urge the European Commission to urgently extend the exemption until at least April 2027,” says Ryanair’s COO Neal McMahon.

According to Ryanair, an extension would give airports and border authorities more time to fix technical issues, reinforce staffing and make the system work more efficiently before it is fully implemented.

The EES is the EU's digital entry and exit system for registering travellers at the external borders of the Schengen area. Ryanair's data on queues and technical problems comes from the airline.