At European airports, queues at passport control have sharply increased following the implementation of the new Entry and Exit System (EES). In some checkpoints, passengers are forced to wait up to five hours, and representatives of the aviation industry have already appealed to the European Commission to temporarily ease the rules. This is reported by Travel Off Path.
The EES System in Europe Has Caused Multi-Hour Queues at Airports
The new rules stipulate that citizens of non-European Union countries must undergo biometric registration upon their first entry into the Schengen area. This includes fingerprint scanning and facial photography before passing through passport control.
This procedure, according to representatives of airlines and airports, has significantly increased passenger processing times. The most challenging situation is currently observed at Lisbon Airport, where delays reach several hours.
As a result, industry organizations have sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, calling for the temporary suspension of EES implementation during peak load periods.
«This undermines the reputation of Europe. Passengers are already forced to stand in lines for extended periods near terminals and on open platforms, as border control points cannot process arrivals quickly enough,» the industry representatives' appeal states.
Traveling to Europe in Summer: Why EES Causes Controversies
The EES system is designed to automatically record each entry and exit of foreigners from the Schengen area. It aims to replace manual checks of stamps in passports and help monitor compliance with the rule of staying no more than 90 days within a 180-day period.
However, in practice, the implementation of the system has proven more complicated than expected. In France, checks were temporarily eased at the Port of Dover to avoid transport collapse. In Italy, the management of Rome’s airports also warned of the risk of significant delays during the peak tourist season.
Despite numerous appeals, the European Commission currently has no plans to abandon the EES. Brussels has only allowed countries to partially simplify control procedures in exceptional cases. Meanwhile, representatives of the aviation industry believe that this is insufficient, especially ahead of the busiest summer travel season.
For Ukrainians, the new rules are also relevant. After the EES implementation, citizens of Ukraine traveling to Schengen area countries under a visa-free regime will also undergo biometric registration when crossing the EU's external border, so they should consider possible additional delays at airports.