Ryanair urges EU to extend EES exemption until April 2027

International

Airline warns of further disruption at European border controls after temporary flexibility for member states expires

Ryanair is calling on the European Commission to extend the exemption mechanism for the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) until at least April 2027. The airline argues that airports and border authorities need more time to resolve technical problems, increase staffing and improve passenger processing before the system is fully enforced.

The previous exemption expired on 6 September. It had allowed member states to temporarily suspend EES procedures when necessary to prevent serious congestion at border controls. Ryanair says removing this flexibility risks further delays during periods of heavy passenger traffic.

Border waits of up to three hours

According to Ryanair, airlines, airports and industry associations have repeatedly warned that the implementation of EES could significantly increase processing times at European borders.

The airline points to problems experienced during the summer, when border-control waiting times at airports including Krakow, Lisbon, Milan and Rome reportedly reached between two and three hours.

Ryanair argues that border authorities continue to face technical problems with EES kiosks as well as insufficient staffing and slow passenger processing. The airline fears that the end of the exemption mechanism will make it more difficult for individual member states to respond when queues become excessive.

Ryanair calls for extension until spring

The airline wants the European Commission to restore the exemption immediately and keep it in place until at least April 2027.

Ryanair says the additional months should be used to resolve problems with malfunctioning kiosks, increase staffing at border checkpoints and ensure that the system can handle passenger volumes efficiently before full enforcement.

The demand is particularly relevant ahead of another major European travel season. Without improvements, the airline warns that passengers could again face substantial delays at border controls.

Airline sharply criticises EES rollout

Ryanair Chief Operating Officer Neal McMahon described the EU's handling of the EES introduction as a “disaster from start to finish”. He said airlines, airports and border authorities had repeatedly warned Brussels that the system was not ready and would lead to longer processing times and excessive queues.

According to McMahon, those warnings were ignored and passengers ultimately suffered the consequences through delays and disruption.

He called on the European Commission to give airports and border authorities until at least April 2027 to address technical and staffing problems before full enforcement. Passengers, he argued, should not have to bear the consequences of problems associated with the introduction of the new border-control system.