British travellers have been warned to expect queues of up to six hours at European airports this summer as the EU’s new border system causes disruption.
Rafael Schvartzman, vice-president for Europe at the International Air Transport Association (Iata), said the entry-exit system (EES) created a “hard risk” of lengthy delays and missed flights. The digital border management scheme, which requires fingerprints and facial biometrics from third-country nationals entering the Schengen Area, has already led to queues in Portugal, Spain and Italy since its full rollout in April.
Speaking at the Iata Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Schvartzman described waiting times of three to six hours as “unacceptable”. He urged European states to ensure borders are adequately staffed, flight schedules are known in advance, and electronic kiosks are operational, and to suspend EES checks before queues become too long. “Without EES, it takes between 20 and 25 seconds to process a passenger. With EES, we are talking about 90 seconds,” he said.
He advised passengers to allow much more time at the airport than usual. “Arriving two to three hours before departures and getting airside as quickly as possible is a prudent approach,” he added.
Wizz Air has also told British travellers to arrive at European airports three hours before their return flights, after delays at passport control caused some passengers to miss connections. Yvonne Moynihan, managing director of Wizz Air UK, said lengthy queues had led to missed flights. The airline encouraged customers to prepare for border control procedures in advance to reduce the risk.
