British tourists are facing queues up to three times longer than usual at passport control when travelling to the EU, according to airport staff. The digital Entry Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens to register fingerprints and photos when they enter the Schengen area, with the information checked again on departure. The process is handled at automated kiosks or by border officers for children under 12.
Technical bugs cause lengthy delays
The new system and machines began rolling out in October, allowing UK citizens to register photos and fingerprints at passport e-gates. However, border police report that EES technology has suffered from bugs, causing lengthy queues. Some airports have seen queues lasting multiple hours, and passengers have reported missing their flights home.
A boss at Rome’s main airport said wait times in some cases had nearly tripled. Ivan Bassato, Rome Airport’s Chief Aviation Officer, told the BBC that integration with e-gates has 'improved things significantly' but that the time for UK nationals to get through passport control has risen from seven to 20 minutes. 'I think that we need to fix urgently certain aspects of the system,' he said.
Passengers experience two-hour waits
Yorkshireman Carl, whose family had travelled to the Italian capital on holiday, said they faced a two-hour wait to scan their passports. 'I knew it was going to be bad, but not as bad as that,' he told the BBC. The BBC also spoke to border police at Faro airport in Portugal, who said queues went down quickly but admitted delays due to system faults. Faro Airport border control boss Pedro Oliveira said that 'sometimes what used to be a 10-minute queue… takes over 30 minutes', adding that wait times of over an hour were very rare.
Ryanair warns passengers of extended waits
Ryanair has warned customers to 'allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for extended waits at passport control' caused by 'the failed EES rollout'. While states can suspend the EES in exceptional circumstances, airlines and airports have urged the European Commission (EC) to allow pausing the process at busy times. The EC has said disruption at most EU airports is limited and that it is providing support to member states as the new system is phased in. It added: 'This support will continue to the fullest extent possible.'
