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LONDON — Europe’s airports and airlines have called for urgent changes to the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), as passengers continue to face long queues at border control.
In a joint statement on 12 October, airport trade body ACI Europe and airline group Airlines for Europe (A4E) said waiting times still routinely exceed two hours and reach up to five hours at peak times in the worst cases. That’s nearly six months after the system was fully introduced.
The Entry/Exit System replaces passport stamps for non-EU travellers, including British passport holders, entering the Schengen area for short stays. On your first trip, your passport is scanned and your photo and fingerprints are taken. Your entries and exits are then recorded digitally.
The EES began rolling out on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026.
The industry groups blame what they call “structural shortcomings” that they say have been raised for months but remain largely unaddressed:
Not enough border staff
Unstable IT systems behind the EES
Too few self-service kiosks and automated gates in use
Limited features in the “Travel to Europe” app, which is meant to let travellers register some details before they arrive
They warn the queues are causing passengers to miss flights and connections, and putting heavy pressure on border guards and airport and airline staff.
ACI Europe and A4E are asking the European Commission and EU member states to:
End “double verification”, so travellers aren’t checked twice for the same thing.
Speed up biometric checks.
Prevent duplicate EES profiles, which can trigger extra checks.
Upgrade the Travel to Europe app and web portal.
Roll out more automated border gates for non-EU travellers, and make access consistent across countries.
Let countries partially suspend the EES, skipping biometric registration, whenever queues become excessive, as a permanent safety valve.
The groups said the EES has made Europe’s external borders more secure, but that the promise of faster, smoother travel has not been delivered. They described the problems as “no longer a teething problem”.
UK travel agent group Advantage Travel Partnership went further. Its chief executive, Julia Lo Bue-Said, called for the EES to be paused until the EU can show it works properly. She argued that temporary suspensions at individual airports and ports are not good enough, and that travellers deserve certainty.
Some countries have already relaxed checks under pressure. Greece, for example, suspended EES registration for British visitors after long delays earlier this year.
If you’re travelling to the Schengen area, which covers most EU countries plus destinations such as Switzerland, Norway and Iceland:
Allow extra time. Queues are often longest when you arrive in Europe, so plan for this when booking connections and transfers.
Expect a longer first visit. Your first EES registration takes the most time. Later trips should be quicker once your details are on file.
Use the Travel to Europe app where it’s available. It doesn’t work in every country yet, so check before you travel.
Leave room for tight connections. If you’re changing flights in Europe, choose a longer layover where you can.
Check the latest advice. Rules and local arrangements can change, so check UK government travel advice for your destination before you go.
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