Low-cost carrier Ryanair has announced it will reduce the operating hours of check-in counters at airports so that passengers miss flights less often amid growing border queues in Europe. This is reported by The Guardian.

The airline, which carries about 200 million passengers annually, will require everyone dropping off baggage or checking in at the airport to do so no later than an hour before departure – instead of the current 40 minutes.

The changes will take effect from November 2026. The company explains that this will give passengers more time to pass through security and passport control, and will also reduce the number of those who miss flights due to queues.

While the innovation is not directly linked to the launch of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which involves collecting biometric data from most non-EU citizens, Ryanair acknowledges that it has contributed to increased queues at passport control.

Read also: EU plans to implement new border crossing rules again: when and what will change for Ukrainians

Following the phased implementation of EES from October, delays of several hours have already been recorded at certain airports. In particular, Greece stated that it would not apply the new rules to UK citizens this summer to avoid chaos during the holiday season. In Milan, more than 100 passengers missed an easyJet flight due to queues at passport control.

Ryanair notes that most passengers will not feel the changes – about 80% already check in online and go straight to the boarding gate. Only about 20% drop off baggage at the airport.

By October, the airline plans to install automated bag drop points at more than 95% of airports. According to Marketing Director Dara Brady, this will speed up service and reduce queues.

As a reminder, since April 10, on all external borders of the EU, the EES system has become fully operational, which records data on the entry and exit of third-country nationals, including Ukrainians.