Holiday flights from the UK and Ireland to Spain are heading into peak season just as a new EU border system beds in.
Ryanair has warned that passengers face “passport queue chaos” at some of Spain’s busiest airports this summer, as the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) coincides with school holidays, according to the airline’s latest statement.
The carrier says the system is “not ready for the end-of-school-term travel period”, even as millions of families prepare for their “well-deserved summer holidays”. The company is urging governments to pause the rollout until after August.
What is the EU Entry/Exit System and why it matters for Spain
The EU’s Entry/Exit System introduces extra steps at passport control for travellers crossing between Schengen and non-Schengen areas. EES passport checks may involve:
- Scanning passports
- Providing fingerprints
- Having a facial image taken
Ryanair argues that these procedures are being rolled out just as summer traffic surges and says the current infrastructure “is NOT ready to manage the high passenger volumes expected during peak season” because of “insufficient staff, kiosks and system readiness”, as stated by the airline.
Spanish airports Ryanair says are already disrupted
In its warning, Ryanair singles out four major airports in Spain as already “experiencing major disruptions”, with further traffic expected as peak summer advances, according to the company:
- Tenerife South
- Palma de Mallorca
- Alicante-Elche
- Málaga-Costa del Sol
These hubs serve many of Spain’s most popular coastal regions for UK and Irish visitors, from the Costa del Sol in Andalusia to resorts in the Balearic Islands and along the south-eastern mainland.
Why Ryanair fears ‘passport queue chaos’
In its official communication, Ryanair states that EES passport control infrastructure is “not ready” for peak summer volumes due to insufficient staffing, limited working kiosks and incomplete system readiness.
Ryanair’s chief operations officer, Neal McMahon, is quoted as saying that “passengers and families should not be used as guinea pigs for a half-baked passport control system that risks creating long queues, missed flights and unnecessary stress at airports this summer”, in comments carried on the airline’s website.
The warning focuses in particular on families travelling with children as schools break up, with the airline describing the timing as a potential “travel nightmare during school holidays”.
Ryanair’s call to delay EES until after the holidays
Ryanair is urging European governments to suspend the implementation of EES until September, once the school-holiday rush has eased.
The airline argues that delaying until early autumn would ease pressure on passport control during peak weeks and reduce the risk of disruption for families.
Ryanair’s advice for passengers flying to and from Spain
Alongside its criticism of the rollout, Ryanair is setting out guidance for its customers. The airline says it is:
- Advising passengers of increased queues at passport control when travelling to non-Schengen destinations
- Encouraging travellers to arrive earlier at the airport to avoid missing flights as a result of EES bottlenecks
Outlook for summer travel to Spain
Ryanair expects disruption to continue at key airports such as Tenerife South, Palma, Alicante and Malaga as July and August unfold, based on its assessment of current EES performance published on its website.
Spanish resorts along the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca and in the Balearic Islands remain popular with UK and Irish travellers, and flights are expected to stay busy across the season.
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