TravelRyanairRyanair has released a statement claiming that 16 airports in Europe will create "long queues for UK families" as the school summer holidays loom and airports face their busiest time of year11:52, 17 Jul 2026Ryanair has released a strongly-worded statement claiming that "UK families face hours of extra queues as EU EES chaos continues", naming 16 airports where "passengers are experiencing significant delays".‌The budget airline called for an emergency extension and flexibility in implementing the Entry/Exit System (EES), warning that without action families heading off on their summer holidays would face long waits. These delays would affect passengers no matter what airline they flew with.‌Its statement read: "Ryanair today [July 15] warned millions of UK families travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for lengthy passport queues and airport delays caused by the EU’s failed Entry/Exit System (EES), which continues to create disruption months after its introduction.‌"With schools now breaking for summer and passenger volumes reaching peak levels, the failed EES rollout is going to cause unnecessary delays and long queues for UK families."It claimed: "Ryanair has identified a number of recurring EES hotspots where passengers are experiencing significant delays due to slow processing times and excessive passport control queues on both arrivals and departures."‌The statement went on to name airports including both beach and city break destinations. This included family-friendly holiday hotspots such as Lanzarote, Tenerife South, Alicante, and Malaga, alongside destinations including Milan and Verona.Ryanair went on to claim these airports suffered from similar issues, saying: "Months after EES went live, many airports still do not have fully functioning self-service kiosks in place, while border staffing levels and infrastructure remain inadequate to process peak passenger volumes. The result is avoidable delays, longer queues and unnecessary stress for UK passengers travelling during the busiest holiday period of the year."‌The airline gave advice to families heading off on their holidays soon, continuing: "Ryanair is advising UK passengers travelling to and from non-Schengen destinations, or transiting through affected European airports, to allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for extended waits at passport control, where EES checks may require passport scanning, fingerprint capture and facial image verification."Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operations officer, said in a statement: “Families heading away for a well-earned summer holiday should be thinking about suitcases, suncream and sangria, not standing in passport queues for hours. The reality is that the EES system isn’t working properly and families are paying the price for a system that does not work months after launch. Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfished border infrastructure."We support calls from EU Member States to urgently extend the EES flexibilities. This will give airports and border authorities the time to improve the infrastructure, fix the broken devices and hire more staff so that families can travel through Europe without disruption.”Article continues belowFull list of airports Ryanair named for 'significant delays'LisbonTenerife SouthMadridLanzaroteAlicanteMalagaMilan BergamoMilan MalpensaVeronaParis BeauvaisBerlinCologneFrankfurt HahnKrakowBudapestHave a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.comChoose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌RyanairEuropean UnionSchoolsParentingTravelAir travel