DUBLIN- Ryanair (FR) chief executive Michael O’Leary has warned travellers that flights will not be held for passengers stuck in passport control queues caused by the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES).
The warning follows a Ryanair service from Athens (ATH) to London Luton (LTN) that departed without more than 20 passengers still waiting at border control, one of several such incidents since the system went live.
Boarding Closes on Schedule Regardless of Queue Length
Speaking on Simon Calder’s Travel Expert podcast for The Telegraph, O’Leary said the airline’s responsibility sits with passengers who reach the gate on time.
“We will not wait for anybody,” he said. He added that passengers who are not at the boarding gate when boarding finishes will see the plane leave without them.
O’Leary said the airline is not delaying flights for people held up in passport control, and that travellers must either arrive at the airport earlier or reach the gate on time.
He acknowledged the disruption has frustrated passengers. He also said airlines cannot hold aircraft indefinitely without affecting schedules across the network.
The EES was rolled out in full in April 2026 and requires non-EU nationals to submit biometric data, including facial images and fingerprints, when entering the Schengen free movement area. It applies across 29 countries and covers British passport holders.
Since the system went live on 10 April, it has caused disruption at multiple border checkpoints, with reports of passengers missing flights. Airports have attributed the delays to higher passenger volumes combined with the extra processing each registration requires.
Athens Departure Left More Than 20 Behind
Affected travellers had completed check-in and reached the airport in time, but were delayed passing through passport control. The aircraft eventually left around an hour behind schedule after baggage belonging to the stranded passengers was removed.
Neither Ryanair nor Athens International Airport directly named the EES as the cause. The airline pointed to border delays, while the airport cited additional processing requirements.
Airport officials acknowledged periods of congestion in the departures area, citing high passenger volumes and the extra requirements tied to non-Schengen travel.
Disruption Reported Across Multiple European Airports
The Athens case is not isolated. In April, around 100 easyJet passengers reportedly missed a flight from Milan to Manchester after facing passport control queues of up to 3 hours.
A Ryanair flight from Toulouse to London Stansted also departed in May without around 150 passengers held at border control.
Which? Travel reviewed hundreds of reports of EES delays and found the most frequently criticised airports were Alicante, Amsterdam Schiphol, Berlin, Krakow, Lisbon, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Linate, Palma de Mallorca, Paris Beauvais and Tenerife South.
Ryanair has separately identified 15 European airports where passengers face significant delays from slow processing.
Ryanair has been among the system’s strongest critics. The airline wrote to the 29 participating countries asking them to suspend the EES until September to prevent hours-long queues and disruption.
Chief Operations Officer Neal McMahon said passengers and families should not be used as guinea pigs for what he called “a half-baked passport control system”, and pointed to Greece as a country that has already postponed the system.
The airline now supports calls from EU member states to extend the current EES flexibilities, arguing that more time would let airports fix broken devices, improve infrastructure and hire additional staff.
Passengers Absorb Cost of Missed Flights
According to Inkl, some travellers have paid hundreds of pounds for replacement flights and accommodation after failing to reach their gates in time.
O’Leary described the situation as “regrettable”, noting that passengers delayed by border controls are often not responsible for missing their flights.
Passengers who miss a flight because of passport control queues are unlikely to be rebooked free of charge, and travel insurance may not cover the cost. Under Ryanair’s refund policy, customers who do not travel on a flight that operates as scheduled are generally not entitled to a refund.
Timing Advice for Travellers
Wizz Air has told travellers returning to the UK from Europe to arrive three hours before departure, while Ryanair and easyJet have also warned passengers to expect extended waits at passport control. Some guidance suggests allowing as much as four hours during the summer peak.
Ryanair’s position on boarding remains unchanged. In O’Leary’s words, passengers who miss the gate will find that “the plane is going without you.”
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News
