Airports Council International (ACI), representing more than 600 airports across 55 European countries, has called for the immediate suspension of the European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) this summer, citing queues of up to five hours during peak travel periods. In an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, dated July 1, the ACI stated that the rollout of the EES has reached a critical point, causing operational disruption and passenger distress.
System Rollout and Issues
The EES, which replaced passport stamping for third-country nationals including British travelers, requires fingerprinting and photographing at EU borders to create a digital record valid for three years. Since its implementation in April, the system has been plagued with long waits at both arrivals and departures. In one incident, around 100 passengers were stranded in Milan earlier this year due to border check delays.
ACI's Demands
The ACI letter highlights that despite a clause allowing member states to temporarily suspend the system, excessive queues persist. The organization warns that without additional flexibility, existing challenges will intensify during the peak summer travel season. The ACI is calling on the European Commission to immediately grant member states the ability to suspend the EES whenever passenger volumes exceed border control capacity, at least through July and August. Additionally, it requests a permanent operational flexibility mechanism from September to allow suspension in exceptional circumstances.
ACI disputes the European Commission's characterization of the EES implementation as a success, arguing that the system fails to facilitate efficient border crossings while maintaining smooth transport network operations.
Airport CEO Confirms High-Level Meeting
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme on July 2, Aletta von Massenbach, chief executive of Berlin Airport, confirmed that a high-level meeting took place in Brussels on July 1. She stated: “We see now that this is a situation which is not bearable, not bearable for the summer and there are further measures that are required to also look into the future when it comes to September and onwards.” She added that the system's complexity “doesn't really support a smooth processing at the border so this is something that needs to be fixed.” When asked if the EES should be scrapped in the short term, she called for flexibility: “I think it needs to be situation-based decisions taken on the ground by individual member states and borders so they can take measures depending on the situation…there needs to be flexibility for as long as the system is not fully-functional.”
The Manchester Evening News has contacted the European Commission for comment.
