Italy and Portugal are expected to become the latest countries to abandon the EU's controversial Entry and Exit System (EES) after a chaotic rollout across Europe. The biometric border checks, which require fingerprint and facial scans for travellers from non-EU countries including the UK, have caused delays of up to four hours at some of Europe's busiest airports.
Greece recently scrapped the EES for British tourists to avoid disruption during the summer holidays. Now, Portugal and Italy could follow suit to prevent further delays ahead of the May half-term holiday. Tourists may be able to enter both countries with only a passport stamp.
Spain, France, and Croatia could also adopt similar measures as issues with the system persist. The EES was designed to replace manual passport stamping and better monitor the 90-day visa-free limit, but its implementation has led to havoc at airports.
Earlier this month, over 120 EasyJet passengers missed their flight from Milan Linate Airport to Manchester due to lengthy delays caused by the new checks. Only 34 of the 156 passengers boarded the flight, prompting an apology from EasyJet.
