ryanair warns passport chaos tenerife south

Ryanair warns of passport chaos at Tenerife South airport

Ryanair issues urgent warning over new EU passport system

Tenerife South Airport has become the primary flashpoint in the latest major battle within the European aviation sector. Ryanair has issued a stark public warning, stating that the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) for passport checks is causing serious incidents at the busiest airports in the Canary Islands. The Irish carrier has branded the rollout of this digital technology a “predictable disaster” and has formally reiterated its demand for the Spanish government to suspend the checks immediately until September. The airline insists this is the only way to prevent the tourist engine of southern Tenerife—and the rest of the country—from suffering irreversible gridlock during the peak summer weeks.

Airlines warn of mounting pressure on airports

Ryanair has already begun issuing urgent notices to its customers, urging them to arrive at the terminals far earlier than usual due to the alarming increase in queues at police control points for destinations outside the Schengen Area, such as the United Kingdom, a key source market for the islands. Ryanair’s Director of Operations, Neal MacMahon, was unequivocal, stating that passengers and their families should not be used as “guinea pigs” to test a half-finished passport control system that multiplies the risk of missed flights, congestion, and unnecessary stress. The airline has been specific about the airports where the situation is now untenable, placing Tenerife South at the top of an international blacklist.

“Airports like Tenerife South, Palma, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Krakow, and Paris Beauvais are experiencing major disruptions, and further congestion is expected as the busiest weeks of summer approach,” the company detailed in its official statement. In response to this scenario, Ryanair has stepped up its institutional offensive by sending direct letters to the governments of the most exposed countries. In the case of Spain, the criticism is aimed squarely at the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, whom they are demanding use the prerogatives of EU legislation to postpone the implementation of the EES. However, the airline laments that, to date, it has received no response to resolve what it describes as a “major challenge.”

Industry bodies join growing chorus of concern

The low-cost carrier’s protest is not an isolated incident. This same week, the Airports Council International (ACI), Airlines for Europe (A4E), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) sent a joint letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, denouncing the “unsustainable pressure” that staff and infrastructure are facing due to the full implementation of the digital system. Despite this united front from the industry, the response from Brussels remains one of complete normality. The European Commission has defended itself by insisting that the “majority” of European airports are applying the new controls “smoothly,” and has limited itself to offering technical support to those facilities that are lagging behind.

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