Airlines and airports have called for the new EU biometric border check system to be suspended during the peak summer holiday period, warning that some flights are departing half empty while passengers endure queues of up to five hours for biometric checks.
Industry Groups Raise Alarm
In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, industry groups ACI Europe (representing airports), Airlines 4 Europe, and the International Air Transport Association (representing airlines) requested the option to suspend checks under the system. They expressed fears that the situation will worsen significantly during the busy summer season.
“We have reached a critical point,” the groups stated. “Passengers have already been forced to queue for extended periods outside terminal buildings and on exposed aprons because border control facilities cannot process arrivals quickly enough. Airlines face half-empty planes at gate closing time, while passengers are stuck in border control queues.”
Operational Disruptions
Some planes have had to delay takeoff while waiting for passengers, with queues reportedly reaching up to five hours at peak times. Others have had to leave passengers behind. The groups called on the commission to allow airports to “completely suspend” checks “whenever passenger volumes exceed the operational capacity of border control facilities” during July and August.
The groups described the pressure on border authorities, airports, and airlines as “unsustainable” and called for “immediate intervention before the situation deteriorates further during the peak summer travel season.”
Biometric System Rollout Challenges
The system, introduced gradually since last October, requires non-EU citizens to register fingerprints and a photograph at their destination airport. However, the rollout has faced significant problems. Greece suspended biometric checks for British travellers until September to prevent summer disruption. In May, French police temporarily suspended the extra checks at the port of Dover, and last week the head of Rome’s airports said it would have to suspend the system for non-EU citizens to avoid a disaster over the summer.
Impact on Travel and Tourism
“Some international travellers are reconsidering trips to Europe because of the prospect of excessive border delays,” the industry groups warned. “This is undermining Europe’s reputation, European tourism and connectivity, in particular. The reputation of the European Union and the confidence in the regulatory framework are … at stake.”
Despite the rules allowing countries some flexibility to skip some checks, “excessive queues” are still forming, the letter said.
Call for Continued Flexibility
The groups also urged flexibility to continue suspending checks from September, when the rules allowing some flexibility to skip checks are due to be phased out, “under clearly defined exceptional circumstances.”
European airports are expected to handle approximately 40 million more passengers in July and August than the previous two months, the groups noted. “The commission and the member states must take stock of the reality of the current situation and of what our air transport system will face over the coming weeks,” the letter warned.
The groups emphasised that the ability to suspend the new border checks is needed until there are enough staff to make the system work and automated kiosks are sufficiently reliable.
