Ryanair threatens to axe all flights to major holiday destination

It carried more than half of total passengers to the country

As per Ryanair, due to huge queues at the airport, the holiday hotspot could soon lose all of its flights from the airline.

As a result of border control, Ryanair is threatening to axe flights to Malta.

Passengers were left stranded on the tarmac for 20 minutes because the queues were so long at security inside the airport building, recent reports found.

“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”, said David O’Brien, one of Ryanair’s executive officers and the CEO of Malta Air.

According to The Times of Malta, he has since written to Malta’s Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri to ensure border controls are fully staffed for this summer.

“Europe is utterly unprepared in a general sense”, O’Brien added, and that while the airline has not yet experienced significant delays at Malta Airport, it is concerned about the upcoming summertime period.

In 2025, with the UK being the biggest market, Ryanair carried more than half of total passengers to Malta and of those travelling to the country.

Malta Airport has introduced new measures such as a specific Schengen corridor, as well as increasing the amount of immigration desks, in order to try and reduce the delays.

“We are aware of the concerns being raised about waiting times at immigration particularly during peak arrival periods, which challenges are also currently being faced by other airports across the European Union, and we fully understand the frustration this can cause for passengers and airline partners”, a spokesperson for Malta International Airport told Sun Travel.

“Immigration controls fall under the responsibility of the Malta Police Force, and we are working in close coordination with them to support efficient passenger flows.”

The airport is remaining in regular contact with airlines and that they will “respond quickly where needed”, the spokesperson added.

Malta isn’t the only airport suffering delays due to the newly implemented EES system.

The new system is used across 29 European countries to register non-EU nationals, which includes Brits, for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.