The EU is facing mounting criticism from the travel industry after it allowed emergency measures designed to ease EES border chaos to expire on Sunday (6 September), despite a joint push from nine member states – and public appeals from industry bodies – to extend them.
Malfunctioning kiosks, staffing shortages and lengthy processing times remain an issue across key European airports, according to Ryanair
Ryanair said the rollout had already contributed to border delays of up to two to three hours over the summer at airports including Krakow, Lisbon, Milan and Rome, while Holiday Extras said the EU's decision to let the emergency EES flexibility expire without a fix was the "clearest sign yet" that the border scheme had failed.
Ryanair has called on the European Commission to extend the emergency measures allowing EU countries to suspend EES until at least April 2027.
Get unlimited access to the latest travel industry news and analysis, comment on articles and sign up to newsletters.
Register for free
Already registered? Login here or below.
Having difficulty logging in? Try these tips, or contact support@ttgmedia.com
