UK holidaymakers travelling to Europe this summer are being warned of airport delays of up to five hours due to the new EU Entry Exit System (EES). Aviation industry leaders are now calling for the system to be suspended ahead of peak summer periods.
What is the Entry Exit System?
The EES, fully rolled out in April, requires travellers from third-party countries such as the UK to have their fingerprints registered and photograph taken when entering the Schengen Area, which comprises 29 European countries, mainly in the EU. For most UK travellers, this process takes place at foreign airports. Many direct flights from Newcastle International Airport serve destinations across Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Recently, easyJet announced five new routes from Newcastle Airport, including flights to Barcelona.
Industry Leaders Call for Suspension
Senior figures from three major aviation industry bodies wrote a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, warning that the EES implementation is creating “severe operational consequences disrupting passengers and putting border authorities, airports and airlines under unsustainable pressure”. They called for her “immediate intervention” as waiting times at border control have “increased significantly, now reaching up to five hours”, with delays “impacting millions of passengers”.
The letter noted that EU member states are making “extensive use” of a temporary flexibility allowing them to suspend biometric data collection during busy periods until September, but this has “not prevented excessive queues”. It urged countries to be allowed to “completely suspend EES preventively” when passenger numbers exceed “operational capacity” of border control facilities until the end of August. They also seek a “permanent operational flexibility mechanism” to allow suspension “under clearly defined exceptional circumstances”.
Peak Summer Concerns
The letter stated: “We are now entering the busiest period of the year. During July and August alone, European airports are expected to handle approximately 40 million more passengers than during the previous two months. The commission and member states must take stock of the reality of the current situation and of what our air transport system will face over the coming weeks. Without additional flexibility, existing challenges will inevitably intensify.”
The letter was signed by Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines for Europe; Olivier Jankovec, director-general of Airports Council International Europe; and Thomas Reynaert, senior vice president for external affairs at the International Air Transport Association. Airports in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy have been reported among the worst affected by EES queues.
Passengers Affected
In April, more than 100 easyJet passengers missed a flight from Milan Linate to Manchester due to delays at passport desks caused by the ramping up of EES. Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs for travel trade organisation Abta, called on the European Commission to “act now”. He said five-hour delays are “the exception not the rule” but queues at some airports are “completely unacceptable”. He added: “Whilst the industry remains supportive of the longer-term objectives of EES, it is clear the system can no longer be delivered on the existing timeline.”
System Scope and Future
About 1,700 border crossing points require use of EES. The system was introduced to boost security and speed up border checks by reducing the need to stamp passports. Addressing an Abta summit in Westminster last month, Uku Sarekanno, deputy executive director of EU border agency Frontex, said it may take two years for EES to “stabilise”.
