Low-cost carrier Ryanair has written to France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez asking for an immediate suspension of the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) at French borders until September. The airline says early trials show that the biometric registration process is generating queues of one to two hours at airports such as Beauvais, Marseille and Nantes, and risks “holiday chaos” when passenger numbers peak in July and August.
The EES, due to become mandatory across the Schengen Area later this year, requires non-EU travellers to provide fingerprints and a facial photo the first time they enter.
France has installed self-service kiosks, but Ryanair claims staffing shortages and software glitches mean most passengers are still processed manually.
Travellers with long-stay visas or Brexit-related residency cards are technically exempt, yet border guards frequently direct them into biometric lanes, according to passenger testimonies cited by the carrier.
Airports operator Groupe ADP has already lobbied Brussels for a phased roll-out, warning that Charles-de-Gaulle could face hourly passenger surges of 20 percent with the current timeline.
Amid the confusion, VisaHQ can help passengers verify whether they are subject to EES checks, advise on valid exemptions and secure any necessary visas before departure. Its France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) consolidates real-time requirements, offers document review services and provides alerts on policy changes—resources that can spare travellers and corporate mobility teams from costly surprises at the border.
![Ryanair Urges Paris to Suspend EU Entry/Exit System Ahead of Summer Rush]()
Ryanair’s letter points to Greece, which has postponed EES deployment until after the summer, as a model France should follow.
EU Regulation 2025/1534 allows member states to delay implementation if border efficiency is threatened.
For business-travel managers the stakes are high. Missed connections and extended dwell-times drive up hotel, driver and per-diem costs, while unpredictable processing disrupts tightly-timed day-trips.
Mobility teams are therefore advised to build wider airport buffers into itineraries, brief travellers to expect manual checks even with residency cards, and monitor any government response in the coming days.
If Paris refuses to pause EES, companies may need to prioritise rail or domestic flight alternatives for short-haul meetings, and consider arranging Fast-Track services where available.
Conversely, a temporary suspension would give airports breathing space to fully test kiosks, refine staffing patterns and launch the long-awaited ‘Travel to Europe’ smartphone app that pre-captures biometric information.
The EES, due to become mandatory across the Schengen Area later this year, requires non-EU travellers to provide fingerprints and a facial photo the first time they enter.
France has installed self-service kiosks, but Ryanair claims staffing shortages and software glitches mean most passengers are still processed manually.
Travellers with long-stay visas or Brexit-related residency cards are technically exempt, yet border guards frequently direct them into biometric lanes, according to passenger testimonies cited by the carrier.
Airports operator Groupe ADP has already lobbied Brussels for a phased roll-out, warning that Charles-de-Gaulle could face hourly passenger surges of 20 percent with the current timeline.
Amid the confusion, VisaHQ can help passengers verify whether they are subject to EES checks, advise on valid exemptions and secure any necessary visas before departure. Its France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) consolidates real-time requirements, offers document review services and provides alerts on policy changes—resources that can spare travellers and corporate mobility teams from costly surprises at the border.
Ryanair’s letter points to Greece, which has postponed EES deployment until after the summer, as a model France should follow.
EU Regulation 2025/1534 allows member states to delay implementation if border efficiency is threatened.
For business-travel managers the stakes are high. Missed connections and extended dwell-times drive up hotel, driver and per-diem costs, while unpredictable processing disrupts tightly-timed day-trips.
Mobility teams are therefore advised to build wider airport buffers into itineraries, brief travellers to expect manual checks even with residency cards, and monitor any government response in the coming days.
If Paris refuses to pause EES, companies may need to prioritise rail or domestic flight alternatives for short-haul meetings, and consider arranging Fast-Track services where available.
Conversely, a temporary suspension would give airports breathing space to fully test kiosks, refine staffing patterns and launch the long-awaited ‘Travel to Europe’ smartphone app that pre-captures biometric information.
