Dover is bracing for Ryanair European airport delays at the start of the peak summer season, with new EU border controls meeting the busiest summer weekend. The port said it faces its biggest test yet as about 7,500 cars travelling to France are expected on Friday and 10,000 on Saturday.
Holidaymakers headed for Dover have been told to use only main roads and to arrive no more than two hours before their booked sailing. French border police at Dover will manually register non-EU travellers for the entry-exit system this summer because the new £40m automated facility cannot operate while software problems in France block the biometric process.
Harriet Hernando on Friday delays
Harriet Hernando, the RAC spokesperson, said many people were choosing UK staycations and warned that drivers should expect trouble in hot weather. She said: “The great British summer staycation is about to get off to a flying start, with many opting to stay in the UK instead of travelling abroad. This could be down to people having more confidence in the weather, as well as concerns over cancelled flights, higher air fares and EU border delays, which are no fun with a family in tow.”
She added: “People should prepare for delays and getting stuck in a jam in potentially very hot weather.”
RAC and Inrix routes
RAC and Inrix expect the worst traffic on Friday in areas of the M25 around Greater London linking to the M3 to the southwest. The RAC said most leisure journeys will take place on Saturday because most schools in England and Wales are closing this weekend for the summer, and more than 14 million drivers are expected to make a getaway.
London Heathrow airport said this weekend would see the start of its peak summer season and Friday would likely be the busiest day. Abta expects the main getaway for Britons going abroad to follow next weekend, while the semi-functioning entry-exit system is credited with helping push British domestic holidays to their highest levels since Covid halted international travel.
Eurotunnel kiosks
Eurotunnel said it did not anticipate delays as summer traffic built up, even as it has spent millions of pounds on automated processing kiosks that cannot yet be brought into service. That leaves Dover carrying the clearest operational strain this weekend, with manual checks for non-EU travellers slowing the crossing while the automated EES facility stays out of use.
For drivers bound for Dover, the practical margin is tight: stick to the main roads, turn up no earlier than two hours before departure, and expect Friday and Saturday to carry the heaviest pressure at the port.
