Brussels Airport has confirmed that non-EU travellers, including Brits and Americans, faced five-hour queues last week, as the European Entry/Exit System (EES) continues to cause delays.
According to The Brussels Times, non-European travellers were forced to go through staffed control posts, leading to the huge queues. In a statement to the Belgian news outlet, the airport confirmed that additional police officers are being trained for the border control posts and that they were seeking "structural solutions".
Airport response and measures
A spokesperson from Brussels Airport said: "Since the introduction of the European Entry/Exit System (EES), border checks for travellers covered by this system have taken longer, as is the case at many other airports. In addition, passengers from certain non-EU countries can no longer use the e-gates. As a result, more passengers need to go through staffed border control points, which has increased waiting times."
They added: "All parties involved continue to work together on long-term solutions." The airport spokesperson confirmed that two extra border control booths had been added for the Federal Police at departures, in addition to two booths added at arrivals before the introduction of EES.
They went on to say: "The Federal Police also increased staffing levels on a permanent basis during the summer, and further reinforcements have been planned. More police officers are also being trained to ensure sufficient staffing at border control points, and additional infrastructure needs are being assessed."
In addition, 60 EES pre-registration kiosks have been installed, allowing non-EU travellers to submit some of their information in advance. The connection between the e-gates and the pre-registration kiosks is still being tested so that, in the future, passengers from certain non-EU countries may be able to use the e-gates again.
EES implementation and traveller experiences
EES launched nearly a year ago, on October 12 2025, before officially becoming operational on April 10 2026. Over the summer months, holidaymakers reported a myriad of issues with the system. Nine countries have put full EES implementation on hold, despite the fact that the EU said there would be no extension to the deadline. Holiday hotspots such as Greece briefly made an exemption for British holidaymakers over the summer, which has now been reversed.
On Reddit, a poster took to the R/Belgium sub with a post titled: "Brussels airport queues should be a national scandal", asking: "Why are they so bad? EES isn’t new anymore. They hardly have anyone checking passports. Are people in Belgium aware that queuing for 1hr + isn’t normal?"
One poster replied: "If you’ve got a kid under 12 you have to go through a manual check and can’t use the kiosks, and while usually shorter than the all passports line, it can sometimes be long as well. We waited 20-30 minutes last Friday mid morning. The all passport line was all the way along the back of the security screening area. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen more than 3 agents working and an all passport line shorter that didn’t back up into the arrivals corridor."
Passenger feedback
Reviews of the airport on Google tell the same story. One visitor said: "The passport control situation at Brussels Airport is completely unacceptable. Every time I arrive and have to use the “All Nationals” queue, I face the same problem: an enormous line and an extremely long wait, sometimes lasting hours."
They added: "This is an international airport and one of the main gateways to the capital of Europe. Yet the passport control capacity seems completely inadequate for the number of arriving passengers. Hundreds of people are forced to stand in line after long flights because there are simply not enough control points operating to process passengers within a reasonable time."
