Nearly 70 Ryanair passengers were left stranded at Lanzarote Airport on May 4 due to failures in the new passport control system. The incident highlights significant operational challenges during the peak travel season.
Sixty-eight passengers missed their flight to Edinburgh because of delays at border control. The delays stemmed from issues with the airport’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), which is designed to register third-country nationals, including British citizens.
The problems began around 11am and persisted until midday. Passengers reported long queues and frustration as they attempted to navigate the disrupted system. Ryanair confirmed that all passengers who presented at the boarding gate before departure were accommodated.
The disruption affected flights to destinations outside the European Union. Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operations officer, criticized the timing of the EES implementation during a busy travel period. He stated, “Governments across Europe are attempting to roll out a half-baked IT system in the middle of the busiest travel season of the year, and passengers are paying the price, being forced to endure hours-long passport control queues and in some cases, missing flights.”
The EES requires travelers to provide biometric data, including fingerprints and photographs. It aims to streamline passport checks and monitor visa-free travelers’ duration in the EU. However, many believe that its introduction during peak season is problematic.
Ryanair has urged EU governments to suspend the EES until September when summer travel subsides, echoing actions taken by Greece. McMahon noted, “The solution is simple and already provided for under EU law (EU Reg. 2025/1534) – Governments should suspend EES until September when the peak summer travel season has subsided, just as Greece has done.”
This incident raises concerns about future border control issues as more travelers prepare for summer vacations. Observers will be watching how authorities respond to these operational challenges moving forward.
