Fears that the new EU entry/exit system (EES) could cause a summer of travel chaos have been compounded by a warning from a senior official that the system may not 'stabilise' for up to two years. Uku Särekanno, a director of the EU border agency Frontex, told an event hosted by the UK travel association Abta that some member states were 'struggling' to adopt the system, which requires non-EU passengers to register personal information and biometrics at the border.
The EES, first introduced last October and rolled out fully on 10 April, has already triggered hours-long delays at major airports. Särekanno noted that the most challenging part is the first enrolment, where fingerprints and facial images are taken. However, he expressed hope that once enrolled, travellers would benefit from faster entry on subsequent visits.
EU rules allow the checks to be suspended to avoid queues at peak periods, but this allowance is expected to end in September. In May, French police temporarily suspended extra checks at the Port of Dover, while Greece has suspended biometric checks for British travellers until September to prevent disruption.
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, warned that problems with the EES could hurt demand among British holidaymakers this year. 'The rollout of the EU entry/exit system is creating an unhelpful, and potentially damaging, backdrop for summer travel to EU destinations,' he said. He urged destinations to use the contingency flexibility to suspend biometric registration where queues are unacceptably long.
Beyond border issues, holiday bookings have also been hit by uncertainty around the conflict in the Middle East and the rising cost of living. Shaun Morton, chief executive of On the Beach, noted that consumers are booking later, creating uncertainty for operators. However, he still expected the summer travel market to grow overall, adding that 'this late loop will eventually reverse when the conditions allow it.'
