British passengers returning home via European airports should allow three hours before their flights, Wizz Air boss Yvonne Moynihan has advised, due to long queues caused by the EU's new entry-exit system (EES). The system, which replaced passport stamps with digital registration, became fully operational last month after a gradual rollout since October 2025.
Moynihan told the BBC that while standard advice is to arrive two hours early, “in these circumstances, we are advising three hours”. She noted that the impact is “fragmented across Europe”, with seamless travel in some places but long queues at “usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France”.
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. It said the “situation is deteriorating”, with airports that previously had no excessive waiting times now reporting issues despite partial suspensions of EES.
Last week, French police temporarily suspended EES checks at the Port of Dover as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays in hot weather. A port spokesperson welcomed the move, saying the situation was “challenging”. The European Commission noted that EES is not the only cause of delays, and registering information usually takes about a minute.
