Low-cost giant Ryanair escalated pressure on EU authorities on 2 July, claiming that the digital Entry/Exit System risks “guinea-pig” treatment of holiday-makers if fully enforced during the high season. Chief operating officer Neal McMahon listed Paris-Beauvais among seven airports already seeing “major disruption” from first-time fingerprint enrolment.
![Ryanair warns of ‘queue chaos’ at Paris-Beauvais under new EU fingerprint rules]()
For travellers who want to double-check whether they might be subject to the new biometric rules—or any other visa or entry requirement—VisaHQ offers an easy online tool and live support. The platform’s France section (https://www.visahq.com/france/) lets users input nationality and destination to see instantly if extra documents, appointments or pre-registration are needed, helping avoid last-minute airport surprises.
Ryanair argues that terminals designed for short-haul turn-arounds cannot absorb the 60-to-90-second processing time per passenger without expanding staffing and queuing areas. At Beauvais, peak summer departures routinely see more than 1,000 passengers an hour; even a 30-second delay per traveller creates a queue hundreds of metres long. The airline is urging the Commission to postpone mandatory biometric capture until September 2027, echoing a joint industry letter sent earlier this week. French airport operator Edeis, which runs Beauvais, said it has installed 20 automated kiosks but still expects hold-ups on the first weekend after schools break up. For mobility managers the alert is a reminder to avoid tight connections through secondary French airports. Travellers who must use Beauvais should complete any pre-registration offered by carriers, arrive at least three hours ahead of departure and keep boarding passes handy for staff‐directed fast tracks. EU nationals using e-gates are unaffected, but mixed-nationality families will be delayed by the slowest member. French border police maintain they can suspend fingerprint collection temporarily if queues exceed 45 minutes, yet the criteria remain opaque. Companies should monitor social media feeds such as #CDG and #EES for real-time congestion reports.
For travellers who want to double-check whether they might be subject to the new biometric rules—or any other visa or entry requirement—VisaHQ offers an easy online tool and live support. The platform’s France section (https://www.visahq.com/france/) lets users input nationality and destination to see instantly if extra documents, appointments or pre-registration are needed, helping avoid last-minute airport surprises.
Ryanair argues that terminals designed for short-haul turn-arounds cannot absorb the 60-to-90-second processing time per passenger without expanding staffing and queuing areas. At Beauvais, peak summer departures routinely see more than 1,000 passengers an hour; even a 30-second delay per traveller creates a queue hundreds of metres long. The airline is urging the Commission to postpone mandatory biometric capture until September 2027, echoing a joint industry letter sent earlier this week. French airport operator Edeis, which runs Beauvais, said it has installed 20 automated kiosks but still expects hold-ups on the first weekend after schools break up. For mobility managers the alert is a reminder to avoid tight connections through secondary French airports. Travellers who must use Beauvais should complete any pre-registration offered by carriers, arrive at least three hours ahead of departure and keep boarding passes handy for staff‐directed fast tracks. EU nationals using e-gates are unaffected, but mixed-nationality families will be delayed by the slowest member. French border police maintain they can suspend fingerprint collection temporarily if queues exceed 45 minutes, yet the criteria remain opaque. Companies should monitor social media feeds such as #CDG and #EES for real-time congestion reports.
