Be the first to comment!Ryanair calls on EU to extend EES derogation until next April
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Ryanair has called on the EU Commission to immediately extend the Entry/Exit System (EES) derogation until at least April next year, following its expiry on the 8th of September.
The airline said that the derogation allowed member states to temporarily suspend EES to prevent severe border control congestion. ”However, despite the ongoing disruptions being suffered by passengers, the EU Commission has allowed this important flexibility to expire.”
”Airlines, airports and industry bodies have repeatedly warned that the EU’s ill-planned EES rollout is increasing border processing times, creating excessive queues and causing avoidable disruption for passengers across Europe, the airline said. ”This was evidenced this Summer when border control delays reached up 2-3 hours in the likes of Krakow, Lisbon, Milan and Rome. The EU Commission cannot allow this avoidable disruption to passengers continue.”
Ryanair argued that ”while the EU Commission continues to insist that EES is working, the reality for passengers is very different. Border authorities are still trying to manage with malfunctioning kiosks, staffing shortages and processing delays. Removing the derogation now leaves Member States with no flexibility to prevent further disruption during peak periods.”
Ryanair called on the EU Commission to ”urgently extend the EES derogation until at least next April, giving airports and border authorities the time needed to fix the broken kiosks, increase staffing levels and ensure the system can operate efficiently before full enforcement is imposed on passengers.”
Ryanair’s COO Neal McMahon, said, ”the EU’s handling of EES has been a shambles from start to finish. Airlines, airports and border authorities repeatedly warned Brussels that the rollout was not ready, that it would increase processing times and that it would create excessive queues for passengers. Those warnings were ignored, with EU citizens the ones delayed and disrupted.”
He insisted that ”passengers should not be made pay the price for the EU’s failed EES rollout.”
File photo
