EU 'punishing' Britain for Brexit with travel chaos and four-hour-long passport queues, Ryanair boss says

Dimitris Kouimtsidis
Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:31:16 +0000

The European Union is punishing Britain for Brexit with travel chaos at airports, which includes four-hour long passport queues, Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Leary has claimed.

The airline boss, who backed Remain during the 2016 referendum, claimed the bloc was "undoubtedly" forcing UK travellers to endure longer queues as punishment for leaving.

Speaking about the EU's Entry Exit System, Mr O'Leary branded the rollout "a s*** show and a shambles" that has created considerable chaos at border crossings.

He told the Times: "There's a bit of Brexit in this too. Here, you voted for Brexit - f*****g join the queue."

The Entry Exit System requires travellers from non-EU nations, including British citizens, to provide fingerprints and have their photograph captured when crossing into the Schengen Area, which encompasses 29 European countries.

Since its initial launch in October last year, the biometric system has been causing backlogs and extended waiting periods for passengers.

Airports Council International has reported a "continued deterioration in waiting times at border crossing points" where the technology has been deployed.

The trade body noted that delays are "regularly reaching up to two hours at peak traffic times, with some airports reporting even longer queues."

Aviation groups have cautioned that waits could stretch to four hours during the busy summer months.

Mr O'Leary argued that any EU member state has the option to postpone EES implementation for five months, pushing it back until the end of September.

He suggested this approach would be far more sensible, preventing conditions from worsening during the peak holiday season.

The Ryanair boss warned that smaller regional airports would bear the brunt of the disruption, singling out destinations including Seville, Alicante, Tenerife and Faro as particularly vulnerable.

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Hubs across Germany, France, Iceland, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal have already experienced significant impacts, according to industry bodies.

The EU granted participating countries additional flexibility last month, extending the mandatory implementation deadline to early September.

O'Leary highlighted that immigration kiosks lacking adequate staff were contributing to further hold-ups at border points.

He also criticised the failure to separate passengers who had already completed their EES registration from those yet to enrol, with both groups being directed into identical queues.

Aviation bodies have identified three principal factors exacerbating the delays: chronic understaffing at border control, ongoing technical faults that remain unresolved, and minimal adoption of the Frontex pre-registration application by Schengen nations.

Industry representatives previously urged EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner to intervene immediately, warning that without swift action, severe disruption throughout the summer peak remained a genuine possibility.