Ryanair threatens to ‘redirect capacity’ from Malta due to border check delays

Updated 2.30pm with PN reaction

Ryanair has warned the government it could redirect capacity from Malta to other Mediterranean destinations if border check delays do not improve at the airport.

David O’Brien, CEO of Ryanair’s Malta subsidiary Malta Air, told Times of Malta he wrote to Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri seeking assurances that border controls will be fully staffed for the summer season.

“If we find ourselves with significant congestion and delay, we’d have to redirect capacity away from Malta to other destinations and that’s not something we’d like to do,” he said.

Travellers flying in and out of Malta are waiting up to 40 minutes at border checks because of the EU’s new entry/exit system (EES). The issue affects all non-EU travellers, which, in Malta, primarily means passengers from the UK, its largest market.

Passengers on a flight from the UK last week had to wait 20 minutes on an airport tarmac bus last week because of queues at border control, according to one traveller.

Airports in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Greece have also reported delays.

“Europe is utterly unprepared in a general sense,” O’Brien said on the fringes of Deloitte’s Malta Aviation Conference held a few days ago.

“We hope Malta is prepared. We haven’t reached summer peak yet.”

He said the airline has not experienced significant delays yet but is still concerned about how the system will operate as Malta heads towards the busy summer season. The airline carried more than half the passengers who flew in or out of Malta last year.

David Curmi, executive chairman of national airline KM Malta, also told Times of Malta he has raised concerns about delays with the authorities.

“We are unable to wait for passengers to board our aircraft,” he said. “Passenger compensation regulations state that we have to compensate all passengers, including those who arrive late because of this system.”

Both Curmi and O’Brien agreed with industry calls for a temporary suspension of the system to avoid major disruptions during the summer peaks. Curmi said he is expecting a bigger-than-usual influx of passengers this summer, meaning a summertime system suspension would help airlines operate smoothly.

'Summer is where Malta needs to shine'

Alan Borg, CEO of Malta International Airport (MIA), said he understands the frustration of passengers and airline partners with the new system, which, in Malta, is implemented by the police.

“We are working hand in hand with the Malta Police Force to make sure we can do everything possible to support them in this important initiative,” he said.

Borg said the airport had improved its infrastructure by introducing a new Schengen corridor, increasing the number of immigration desks and providing airlines with real time information on the throughput of the airport.

“It is what it is. We need to find ways to improve the processing time over the summer period,” he said. “Summer is where Malta needs to shine. First impressions matter and we have full support to all stakeholders to improve the current situation.”

Tourism Minister Ian Borg said the government is in daily talks with the European Commission and EU partners about the matter. He also said he is in regular contact with his counterpart in the UK, which is an important tourism market for Malta.

“This is an EU-wide reform that is important for the security of Europe. It means we have to adapt. We have to continue investing,” he said.

Borg said the government is not considering postponing the full system implementation at this stage but is focused on improving operations.

He also acknowledged that more workers might have to be engaged or transferred to the system to make sure the EES operates smoothly.

Camilleri said last week that resources allocated to the new system are already operating at full capacity but that Malta is “doing everything” to reduce the time passengers are left waiting.

Government shortcomings could jeopardise tourism: PN

The PN said in a statement that long delays at the airport could have been partially avoided if the government had invested more in human resources, particularly border control officers.

This is not the first time the government has been found lacking in planning, the PN said in a statement. 

"The Opposition is urging the government to take urgent action to address this situation before the summer season begins," shadow ministers for tourism and home affairs Mario de Marco and Darren Carabott said. 

"Immediate steps should include increasing the number of border control officers at Malta International Airport, investing in staff training to ensure efficient operation of the new digital entry systems, and expanding the number of processing kiosks to handle peak passenger flows."

The government, they added, should conduct a rapid review of airport processes to identify and remove unnecessary bottlenecks, and consider deploying temporary staff during the busiest travel periods. Failure to act will lead to chaos at the airport.