Ryanair urges EU to extend border control derogation until 2027

Ryanair is calling on the European Commission to extend the derogation for the Entry/Exit System (EES) until at least April 2027. The airline argues that the temporary flexibility, which allowed member states to suspend the system to prevent severe border congestion, expired on September 6 despite ongoing operational issues.

The carrier reports that the implementation of the EES has caused significant delays, with queues reaching two to three hours at major airports including Lisbon, Rome, Milan, and Krakow during the summer. Ryanair attributes these delays to technical failures in self-service kiosks, staffing shortages, and slow processing times.

Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s COO, criticized the rollout, stating that “the treatment of the EES by the EU has been a disaster from start to finish.” He urged the Commission to restore the ability for member states to temporarily bypass the system during peak periods to ensure passengers do not suffer due to implementation failures. An extension would provide authorities more time to fix technical issues and increase staffing levels.