Britons are experiencing tripled passport control wait times at some European airports following the implementation of the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES). The system, launched on April 10, mandates that non-EU travelers provide fingerprints and a facial image, leading to increased queues and operational disruptions.
Ivan Bassato, chief aviation officer at Rome Fiumicino Airport, reported that wait times for UK nationals have risen from an average of seven minutes to 20 minutes, describing the current process as having a reduced quality compared to pre-EES standards. He stated that "certain aspects of the system" urgently need fixing.
Travelers have shared accounts of significant delays. One passenger reported a two-hour wait at Rome's airport from deplaning to clearing immigration with children. In Portugal, Superintendent Pedro Oliveira noted that queues that previously took 10 minutes can now extend over 30 minutes at Faro Airport.
Ryanair has warned that millions of UK families traveling to Europe this summer could face lengthy queues. The airline identified several airports as EES hotspots experiencing significant delays, including Lisbon, Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante, Malaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Verona, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt Hahn, Krakow, and Budapest.
Despite the widespread reports of delays, the European Commission has described the impact of the new system as "limited" in most EU airports. However, travel industry bodies have presented a different picture. An open letter from Airports Council International Europe indicated that wait times at border control have increased significantly since the full rollout of EES in April, with some periods reaching up to five hours during peak traffic.
These delays are affecting millions of passengers entering the Schengen Area, including vulnerable travelers such as families with young children, the elderly, and those with reduced mobility. Airports and airlines are also experiencing operational disruptions, including flight delays, missed connections, and increased pressure on staff. Ryanair advises UK passengers traveling to and from non-Schengen destinations or transiting through affected European airports to allow extra time for their journeys and be prepared for extended passport control procedures, which include passport scanning, fingerprint capture, and facial image verification.