European airports are experiencing long queues and delays due to the new digital Entry/Exit System (EES). British holidaymakers are advised to arrive at least three hours before their flight home to avoid missing their flights. The system requires biometric data registration for most short-term visitors from outside the EU and European Economic Area. Several countries have suspended or waived the new rules for UK holidaymakers due to the chaos caused by the system.
British holidaymakers have been told to arrive at European airports three hours before their flight home amid queue chaos caused by new EU border checks.
Wizz Air boss Yvonne Moynihan advised Brits to allow an extra hour on top of the already-advised arrival time of two hours early. She also suggested bringing water and charging phones, as well as allowing several hours for connections. The new digital Entry/Exit System (EES) has caused long queues at airports across Europe, with passengers missing flights after its introduction.
The system requires most short-term visitors from outside the EU and European Economic Area to register biometric data each time they enter or leave the Schengen free travel zone. While first introduced in October last year, the new checks were meant to become fully operational at all European border points from April 10.
However, the rollout of the system has caused lengthy delays around popular holiday hotspots. Ms Moynihan said that while many places have 'seamless' travel, there have been lengthy delays at airports such as Ibiza, where British holidaymakers have been queueing for up to three-and-a-half hours. The Airports Council International found that delays are 'regularly reaching up to two hours at peak traffic times, with some airports reporting even longer queues'.
Some airports were seeing Brits wait as long as three-and-a-half hours, and the trade body expects things to 'deteriorate further' as the summer approaches. Greece has already dumped new Entry/Exit System (EES) rules until September for UK holidaymakers after they led to huge queues and delays. Portugal is already waving passengers through if queues get too big, and along with Italy is expected to follow Greece ahead of the May half-term in allowing tourists to enter on a passport stamp.
French officials in Dover paused EES checks as thousands of Brits made their way to the continent over the bank holiday weekend. The European Commission has insisted that the system is working well at 'almost all border crossing points', and that it is up to individual countries to ensure the system is functioning efficiently.
However, some states are increasing staff levels to tackle the issue, with Portugal announcing that 360 more border officers will be deployed in its airports from July. Ms Moynihan still fears matters will worsen over the summer and is calling for more states to suspend the rules over peak periods. The boss of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, has also accused the EU of punishing British holidaymakers over Brexit with the new checks.
He said there had been 'significant disruption' at passport control since the new system was first introduced, and called it a 'shambles'. The European Commission has said that it will allow biometric registration to be suspended 'at specific border crossing points and for a limited amount of time in cases of exceptional circumstances that lead to excessive waiting times' until September.
The Association of British Travel Agents has advised tourists to use the EES app, which allows them to register biometric data in advance
EU Border Checks European Airports Wizz Air Yvonne Moynihan Digital Entry/Exit System EES Biometric Data Travel Delays British Holidaymakers
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