The controversial Entry-Exit System (EES) continues to cause long delays for holidaymakers as thousands head off for half-term holidays.
Biometric EES checks began to be phased in last October to replace manual passport checks and stamps at borders. Passengers are now required to have a picture and fingerprints taken when entering the EU.
Although an amnesty on pausing checks ended last month, at least nine European countries were allowed to waive the full introduction of EES until the technology required for the necessary facial and fingerprint scans is working effectively.
With warnings that faults are yet to be resolved, there are worries about the impact this strict implementation could have. The i Paper looks at which airports have been the worst affected, the key problems with EES, and its future.
Where are the worst delays?
Waiting times remain “unacceptably high” and up to five hours in some cases, according to the European airport trade body, ACI Europe and Europe’s largest airline body, Airlines for Europe.
Brussels Airport confirmed that some passengers arriving from outside the Schengen area waited up to five hours at staffed border control between 21 and 27 September.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: “The worst queues are usually at airports with lots of UK flights, so check if travellers have reported delays at your destination.”
Typical entry waiting times reported by the EESQueue website currently stand at 95 minutes at Brussels Airport, followed by 68 minutes at Porto and 63 minutes at Berlin.
At the start of the year, Portugal suspended EES for three months after chaotic scenes at Lisbon airport that left passengers stuck in queues of up to seven hours.
In April, more than 100 passengers missed their flight to Gatwick after getting stuck in three-hour border queues at Milan Linate.
Passengers heading to Geneva since EES launched last year have reported being stuck in queues of up to three hours.
Ryanair previously identified Spain’s Tenerife South, Palma, Alicante and Malaga, Krakow in Poland and France’s Paris Beauvais as some of the worst affected.
Boland adds that passengers who miss their flight are unlikely to be covered by travel insurance, and airlines are not obligated to offer another flight without an extra charge. This has left many travellers paying for a new flight because border controls don’t work properly.
What are the problems with EES?
Software issues can result in biometric information not being stored properly, or border officials being left unable to access a passenger’s file.
Both of these issues mean that the timely process of recording the passenger’s information must be started all over again.
Other problems include a lack of self-service kiosks in airports, with Brussels explaining it only has capacity for around a seventh of arrivals on busy mornings, even when fully staffed.
The EU’s official Travel to Europe app – which allows some travellers with biometric passports to submit biometric and passport details in advance – is only available in Sweden and Portugal.
The International Air Transport Association told The i Paper: “Even while the suspension was in place, operational challenges continued to emerge across multiple border crossing points and across different modes of transport, including ports and rail crossings.
“IATA’s position is that the temporary flexibility mechanism should be resumed and remain in place at least until the end of the winter season, and until the necessary operational conditions are in place.
“This includes stable system performance, as well as the full deployment of the supporting infrastructure and personnel.”
What next?
Delays have improved in some places. Spain, which experienced some of the most severe issues with the EES this year, said its airports have been carrying out full implementation of EES since the 6 September deadline.
A Spanish government spokesperson said: “The checks are proceeding quite normally and without interruptions”.
However, airports operate differently with different capacities and he recognised that some airports, including Brussels, were “a bit behind”.
The European Commission has permitted France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland to delay the full implementation of EES, with the option of manual border checks to ease backlogs.
The Times has also reported that the Commission will allow all 29 countries using EES to drop the checks when needed until at least the end of the year. The European Commission, which oversees EES, did not respond to attempts to verify these reports.
Those travelling by car from Dover will not need to worry, as EES has not yet been implemented due to technical issues.
Ryanair COO Neal McMahon called it a “shambles from start to finish”. He called for the full rollout to be delayed until April 2027.
But the EU has defended the success of the EES. Speaking to Politico, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner emphasised the 230 million entries and exits recorded so far by EES.
He insisted there would be no more room for flexibility, as member states have “had enough time” to prepare for the system.