France: The European travel industry is urging the European Commission to step in as the new border control system triggers widespread disruption during the peak summer travel season.
Airports and travel groups have warned that the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), which introduces biometric checks for non-EU visitors, risks causing severe delays unless border authorities are given clear instructions to ease or suspend the process when queues become unmanageable.
Under the system, most British travellers entering Europe must be fingerprinted, photographed, and registered. Since a gradual rollout began in October, airlines and airports say the rules have been applied unevenly across countries, already leading to long queues at several major hubs.
Although member states are currently required to register only about 35 percent of arriving passengers, the full rollout is scheduled for April 10, when all eligible travelers are expected to undergo EES checks. Border officials are allowed to scale back or pause the system to prevent major disruption, but industry leaders say this flexibility is not being used consistently.
The Airports Council International (ACI) has reported delays of up to three hours at airports in Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy. With summer traffic expected to double in July and August, airport operators fear queues could stretch to four or even five hours.
ACI Europe director general Olivier Jankovec said understaffing at border controls was already a problem before EES and had been made worse by the new system. He warned that long queues could create safety risks and lead to missed connecting flights.
UK travel body Abta has written to EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner to ensure border authorities actively use contingency measures and deploy more staff during busy periods. Abta said the system’s challenges were not unexpected but criticized the lack of consistent action on the ground.
The EES infrastructure has been installed at many entry points, including the Eurotunnel in Folkestone and London’s St Pancras station for Eurostar services. But most travelers are still expected to complete registration on arrival at airports.
