Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary says the airline will not hold flights this summer to account for passengers facing long delays at European border crossings under the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). Multiple reports describe O’Leary’s position as firm, indicating that travelers stuck in EES-related queueing should not expect departure times to be adjusted to wait for them.
The comments come amid growing public attention to immigration and border-processing backlogs associated with the rollout of EES, which introduces electronic checks at external borders for non-EU travelers. According to the accounts, O’Leary frames the airline’s operational approach around maintaining scheduled service rather than delaying flights for individual passengers experiencing delays at border control.
The reports focus on what passengers can expect regarding flight holding practices during the summer period. They do not indicate any change to Ryanair’s policy or that the airline is coordinating alternative measures to offset EES queue times, beyond reiterating that flights will proceed as planned.
