A major European airports body has issued a stark warning that the European Union's new digital border scheme is creating queues of up to three hours at passport control, with the potential for "serious safety hazards" if the current rollout continues.
Operational Crisis at European Borders
The Brussels-based Airports Council International (ACI) Europe is calling for an urgent review of the Entry-Exit System (EES), which began its phased introduction across the continent in October 2025. The system, designed to register third-country nationals like British travellers digitally, is already causing significant disruption.
While passports are still being manually checked and stamped during the six-month introductory phase, the EES now also mandates the registration of fingerprints and a facial biometric capture. Many airports have installed self-service kiosks for this purpose, but the process is proving far slower than traditional checks.
Olivier Jankovec, the Director General of ACI Europe, stated that border officials are now taking 70% longer to process each traveller under the new system. He warned that the "significant discomfort" already being inflicted on passengers will worsen dramatically.
January Deadline Threatens 'Systemic Disruption'
Currently, only one in ten non-EU travellers is being selected for the full digital registration. However, the implementation schedule requires this threshold to jump to 35% by 9 January 2026.
Jankovec emphasised the impending crisis: "Unless all the operational issues we are raising today are fully resolved within the coming weeks, increasing this registration threshold to 35 per cent... will inevitably result in much more severe congestion and systemic disruption for airports and airlines. This will possibly involve serious safety hazards."
He concluded forcefully: "The EES cannot be about mayhem for travellers and chaos at our airports." The airports experiencing the worst impacts are reportedly in France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
Persistent Technical and Staffing Shortfalls
ACI Europe has highlighted a series of critical problems plaguing the EES deployment and is urging a moderation of the rollout schedule, which is due to be fully completed by 9 April 2026. The key issues identified include:
- Regular system outages that undermine reliable border operations.
- Persistent configuration problems with the self-service kiosks, including partial deployment and unavailability.
- The continued unavailability of an effective pre-registration mobile application for travellers.
- Insufficient numbers of border guards at airports, reflecting acute staff shortages.
In response to the warnings, data scientist Dr Nick Brown, who has studied the EES in detail, pointed out that airports had an extra year to prepare for the launch and could have conducted more rigorous testing. The Independent has contacted the European Commission for comment on the escalating situation.
