Ryanair warns of summer ‘chaos’ at EU airports over fingerprint checks

Ryanair has warned of “queue chaos” this summer at EU airports because of new fingerprint checks, as the European Commission invited the air industry to an urgent meeting on 7 July to discuss concerns over the new entry and exit system (EES).

- Lisa O’Carroll

The airline, Europe’s largest, said passengers going on breaks this summer should not be used as “guinea pigs” for a “half-baked” system.

Airlines for Europe (A4E) and Airports Council International (ACI) have asked the commission to suspend the new border controls “at least throughout July and August” this year but potentially for a full year until next summer.

They are concerned that airports are not ready to cope with the influx of passengers over the peak summer season, that staff are being subjected to abuse as queues build for finger-printing and that the whole travel industry will be hit hard.

Yesterday Ryanair said it had already urged suspension until September in the “most exposed countries”, claiming the current infrastructure was “not ready to manage the high passenger volumes expected” from mid-July.

It listed seven airports that were already “experiencing major disruptions”, with “further congestion expected” in the holiday season.

The airports are Tenerife South, Palma, Alicante and Malaga in Spain, Milan Bergamo in Italy, Krakow in Poland and Paris-Beauvais in France.