British passengers returning home via European airports should allow three hours before their flights, according to Wizz Air boss Yvonne Moynihan, due to long queues caused by the EU's new entry-exit system (EES). The system, which replaces passport stamps with digital registration, has been fully operational since last month, leading to delays at border checks.
Moynihan told the BBC that while standard advice is to arrive two hours early, passengers should now plan for three hours due to additional passport checks. She noted that the impact varies across Europe, with seamless travel in some areas but long queues in hotspots like Spain, Portugal, and France.
The European airports association ACI Europe reported that queues at 45 airports in 20 EU states reached up to 3.5 hours at peak times, according to a survey on 26 May. The situation is deteriorating, with airports that previously had no issues now experiencing delays despite partial suspensions of EES.
Last week, French police temporarily suspended EES checks at the Port of Dover as thousands faced delays. A port spokesperson welcomed the use of an article 9 clause to relax checks. The European Commission stated that EES registration typically takes about a minute and is not the sole cause of delays.
