British passengers returning home via European airports should arrive three hours before their flights, an airline boss has advised, amid concerns about new security procedures causing significant delays. The EU entry-exit system (EES), which replaces passport stamps with digital registration, has been gradually introduced since October 2025 and became fully operational last month.
Wizz Air boss Yvonne Moynihan said that because of an additional passport check, passengers have experienced longer waiting times than anticipated. While usual advice is to arrive two hours before a flight, she now recommends three hours. The impact of the new checks is 'fragmented across Europe', with long queues at 'usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France'.
Moynihan also advised passengers to bring portable chargers and water, and to allow several hours between connecting flights. The European airports association, ACI Europe, reported that queues have reached up to 3.5 hours at peak times, based on a survey of 45 airports in 20 EU states.
Last week, French police temporarily suspended checks at the port of Dover as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays. A spokesperson for the port welcomed the use of an article 9 clause in EES regulations, which allows for temporary relaxation of checks. The European Commission noted that EES is not the only cause of delays and that registration typically takes about a minute.
