British holidaymakers could finally get relief from airport chaos as the EU has reportedly postponed its controversial Entry/Exit System across nine major countries.
Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Malta, Greece and Switzerland have all been granted permission to postpone the EES system indefinitely, reports say. The scheme has caused delays of up to four hours at European airports this summer, but the Times reports the 9 nations have been allowed to delay implementing the scheme, with no timescale on when to actually bring it in.
How the EES System Works
The automated system forces non-EU residents to queue at special machines before entering 29 Schengen area countries. It was designed to track whether people have exceeded their permitted 90-day stays in Europe.
Despite the EU previously insisting there would be no extensions after September 6, countries have informally been allowed to drop the checks until the technology works properly. The system has faced fierce criticism from airlines including Ryanair.
Traveller Complaints
Nadia from Greater Manchester described her Frankfurt airport experience as "pretty shambolic" after facing ridiculously long queues. "People missing their flights because of it is just not acceptable," she said.
The controversial system has sparked widespread debate on social media, with one traveller saying: "They made a mess of it."
