The European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES), which has already caused hours-long delays at major airports, may not stabilise for up to two years, a senior Frontex official has warned. Uku Särekanno, a director of the EU border agency, told an Abta event that some member states are struggling to implement the system, which requires non-EU passengers to register biometric data at the border.
Särekanno said: “We expect that the situation will stabilise in one or two years. The most challenging part is the first enrolment, that is the moment where fingerprints and facial images will be taken. If a person is visiting the EU again, they don’t have to go through the same process, so they can have a more fast track of entry.” The system was introduced last October and fully rolled out on 10 April.
There are fears the checks could lead to a summer of travel chaos, with consumers nervous about bookings and delays. Some countries have already acted to prevent disruption: French police temporarily suspended extra checks at Dover in May, and Greece has suspended biometric checks for British travellers until September.
Mark Tanzer, Abta's chief executive, warned that the EES could damage demand for EU holidays. “The rollout of the EU entry/exit system … is creating an unhelpful, and potentially damaging, backdrop for summer travel to EU destinations,” he said. “There clearly are some hotspots, and we urge destinations to use the contingency flexibility allowed under the regulation to suspend the biometric registration where queues are unacceptably long.”
Tanzer also noted that early summer bookings have been hit by uncertainty over the Middle East conflict and the rising cost of living. Shaun Morton, chief executive of On the Beach, added that shorter booking lead times create uncertainty but expressed optimism that the market would grow overall. Shares in On the Beach have fallen 30% this year after the group warned of later bookings.
