New Data: EES Queues Double at Europe’s Airports
A Financial Times and Qsensor study found average waits reached 120 minutes in Frankfurt, as airports eased checks to reduce bottlenecks.
- Europe's Entry Exit System is causing significant delays at major airports, with peak queues doubling for non-EU travelers required to scan passports and provide biometric data.
- EES kiosks have been malfunctioning since the system's April 10 launch, forcing travelers to provide fingerprints on multiple trips due to glitches requiring more assistance than the European Commission initially anticipated.
- Data from the Financial Times and Qsensor shows Frankfurt's average wait time reached 120 minutes in July, up from 60 minutes last year; Amsterdam and Munich experienced similarly dramatic increases.
- Ryanair executive Michael Leary said the system was "misdesigned," while some airports temporarily stopped collecting fingerprints during peak times; eight EU member states and Switzerland requested the European Commission extend this relief beyond September.
- The European Commission stated registration takes an average of 70 seconds and "in most cases" the impact on non-EU travelers has been limited, while remaining in contact with member states about border crossing challenges.
14 Articles
14 Articles
EU’s invisible, €2bn border-check system needs public scrutiny
This summer, across Europe, the headlines have been dominated by the rollout of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES). The system, which automatically records who is entering or leaving the Schengen Area, gradually replacing the need for a passport stamp, has led to long queues and airport delays, prompting airlines and some member states to call for its suspension in the busy holiday period. But the attention on the plight of holidaymakers over…
Schiphol considers the waiting times for groups of travelers to be too long since the introduction of a digital border control system. According to the airport, arriving passengers with a non-EU passport have to wait an average of one to two hours, which Schiphol deems undesirable.
The maximum waiting times at two major European airports doubled this summer in the northern hemisphere, compared to a year earlier, after the chaotic implementation of a new electronic border control system by the European Union (EU).
The EU system for controlling all arrivals and departures launched in June is bringing Europe's airports to the brink of collapse, especially during the holiday season.
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