The EU’s IT agency eu-LISA switched on its new Carrier Interface on 9 January, allowing airlines and ferry companies—including Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Irish Ferries—to run trial passenger checks against the forthcoming Entry/Exit System (EES) and European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). While use of the interface is optional during the ‘familiarisation’ phase, Brussels has urged carriers to integrate now to avoid last-minute congestion when EES becomes mandatory in April 2026 and ETIAS by year-end. (eulisa.europa.eu)
Under the progressive start-up, operators can verify whether non-EU passengers hold the correct authorisation before boarding, mirroring practices already standard for ESTA and UK ETA checks. For Irish carriers, the change is significant even though Ireland remains outside Schengen, because many flights originate in Dublin and Shannon but transit onward to continental hubs. Aer Lingus has confirmed that its DUB-CDG and DUB-AMS routes will pilot real-time checks from February.
![Airlines Begin Testing EU Carrier Interface Ahead of EES/ETIAS Roll-out]()
Travellers and corporate travel managers who want to stay ahead of these shifting requirements can streamline the process through VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/). The service offers real-time guidance on ETIAS, EES, UK ETA and traditional visas, sends rule-change alerts, and can manage group applications—support that will prove invaluable once carriers begin enforcing live pre-boarding authorisation checks.
daa IT Director Vincent Harrison told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that Dublin Airport’s departure control systems are “EES-ready” and will switch from batch to live queries once reliability benchmarks are met. Travel-management companies are recommending that Irish-based multinationals upload employee passport data into their booking tools early to reduce airport dwell times when biometric kiosks go live.
Industry analysts say the Carrier Interface could shave up to one minute per passenger at departure gates once fully operational, translating into significant on-time-performance gains for short-haul airlines. However, privacy groups have called for clear guidelines on data retention, particularly for carriers processing UK-bound passengers who are exempt from ETIAS but still subject to UK ETA rules.
Under the progressive start-up, operators can verify whether non-EU passengers hold the correct authorisation before boarding, mirroring practices already standard for ESTA and UK ETA checks. For Irish carriers, the change is significant even though Ireland remains outside Schengen, because many flights originate in Dublin and Shannon but transit onward to continental hubs. Aer Lingus has confirmed that its DUB-CDG and DUB-AMS routes will pilot real-time checks from February.
Travellers and corporate travel managers who want to stay ahead of these shifting requirements can streamline the process through VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/). The service offers real-time guidance on ETIAS, EES, UK ETA and traditional visas, sends rule-change alerts, and can manage group applications—support that will prove invaluable once carriers begin enforcing live pre-boarding authorisation checks.
daa IT Director Vincent Harrison told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that Dublin Airport’s departure control systems are “EES-ready” and will switch from batch to live queries once reliability benchmarks are met. Travel-management companies are recommending that Irish-based multinationals upload employee passport data into their booking tools early to reduce airport dwell times when biometric kiosks go live.
Industry analysts say the Carrier Interface could shave up to one minute per passenger at departure gates once fully operational, translating into significant on-time-performance gains for short-haul airlines. However, privacy groups have called for clear guidelines on data retention, particularly for carriers processing UK-bound passengers who are exempt from ETIAS but still subject to UK ETA rules.
