European airport and airline executives are urging the European Union to suspend its new Entry/Exit System (EES) to prevent potentially "disastrous" queues during the upcoming summer holidays. The EES, rolled out in mid-April, requires non-EU citizens to provide fingerprints and photos upon their first entry into the bloc's Schengen Area.
The system's launch has been plagued by technical issues and poor implementation, leading to significant delays even outside peak travel periods. Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, which manages Fiumicino Airport, reported that border processing times have doubled since the system's introduction. Despite significant investment, the system is still causing delays, with optimization efforts reducing processing time to 90 seconds, which Troncone stated is incompatible with handling daily passenger volumes of 50,000 to 60,000.
"The problem is related to the way this process has been designed. It's not a matter of implementation," Troncone told The Times, emphasizing that the current workflow introduces additional steps that inevitably increase wait times. He believes the only way to avoid a "disaster" during the peak travel weeks is to allow passengers to bypass the new system temporarily.
Industry groups, including Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, Airlines for Europe, and the International Air Transport Association, have collectively written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for the EES to be suspended at least through July and August. They warn that the system could lead to half-empty flights and damage Europe's reputation as a tourist destination.
Passengers are already experiencing queues of up to five hours at some airports, with reports of travelers missing flights. The industry groups caution that the situation could worsen significantly as passenger traffic increases. Delays are impacting millions of travelers, including families with young children and elderly passengers.
While most airlines acknowledge the long-term necessity of digital border systems, comparable to those in the UK, U.S., and Australia, they argue that the current EES infrastructure and rollout are inadequate. Ryanair has identified several Spanish airports, including Tenerife South, Palma, Alicante, and Malaga, as particularly vulnerable to delays, alongside Bergamo in Italy, Krakow in Poland, and Paris Beauvais in France. The airline stated that the infrastructure at some airports is not ready to manage the expected passenger volumes, citing insufficient personnel and kiosks.
"Passengers and families should not be used as guinea pigs for a half-baked passport control system that risks creating long queues, missed flights and unnecessary stress at airports this summer," said Ryanair's Chief Operations Officer, Neal McMahon. The airline advocates for postponing the EES until September, similar to measures taken by countries like Greece.
Christophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries, also expressed concerns, noting that the EES has increased port departure times by approximately 50%. He suggested that biometric checks could potentially be conducted during ferry crossings to streamline the disembarkation process.
The EU Commission has stated that efforts are being made to minimize the impact on travelers, with flexibilities allowing for temporary suspensions during busy periods. However, these suspensions require reapplication every six hours if problems persist and are typically reactive rather than proactive. The system has, however, successfully identified over 7,000 individuals who have overstayed their planned visits since its launch.
Several popular destinations, including Lanzarote, Tenerife South, Malaga, Porto, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Krakow, Paris CDG, Rome, and Budapest, have been identified by UK airlines as potential hotspots for summer queues. Efforts by Greece, Portugal, and Italy to exempt British citizens from certain checks this summer have previously been rejected by the EU Commission.