English-language daily Euro Weekly News reports mounting frustration at Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport as the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) continues to snarl Christmas traffic. Passengers posted images of two-hour passport queues on 24–27 December, with only two manual booths open while more than 20 biometric kiosks stood idle.
Local politicians have been drawn into the row. Social-media users tagged Málaga’s mayor Paco de la Torre, demanding emergency staffing and a temporary suspension of live tests. Ryanair, whose Costa del Sol base handles dozens of daily departures, has advised customers to arrive three hours before flights and is reallocating crew report times to absorb delays.
![Festive-season EES ‘chaos’ prompts calls for Malaga intervention]()
Problems are not confined to Spain. Similar complaints emerged from Berlin and Lisbon, where authorities temporarily suspended EES registration to clear backlogs. Travel-industry bodies warn that uneven deployment is undermining traveler confidence and could affect Spain’s lucrative winter-sun market.
Stakeholders are urging Spain’s Interior Ministry to review staffing and hardware contracts before the system scales up to 35 % biometric enrolment on 9 January. Without swift fixes, risk consultants predict missed connections, punitive EU261 compensation claims and a possible diversion of meetings-and-events business to alternate hubs.
Local politicians have been drawn into the row. Social-media users tagged Málaga’s mayor Paco de la Torre, demanding emergency staffing and a temporary suspension of live tests. Ryanair, whose Costa del Sol base handles dozens of daily departures, has advised customers to arrive three hours before flights and is reallocating crew report times to absorb delays.
Problems are not confined to Spain. Similar complaints emerged from Berlin and Lisbon, where authorities temporarily suspended EES registration to clear backlogs. Travel-industry bodies warn that uneven deployment is undermining traveler confidence and could affect Spain’s lucrative winter-sun market.
Stakeholders are urging Spain’s Interior Ministry to review staffing and hardware contracts before the system scales up to 35 % biometric enrolment on 9 January. Without swift fixes, risk consultants predict missed connections, punitive EU261 compensation claims and a possible diversion of meetings-and-events business to alternate hubs.
Source: Euro Weekly News
