Photo: Shutterstock A few days after it went into full operation across Europe, the continent's new border control Entry/Exit System (EES) is receiving severe criticism from European aviation organizations, ACI EUROPE and Airlines for Europe.
According to a joint statement from the two bodies, on the system's first day of full operation in the Schengen area, significant disruptions were recorded at airports across Europe, including long delays, heavy congestion and actual flight cancellations due to passengers arriving late at boarding gates.
The system, which was fully implemented following a long transition period, requires all citizens of countries that are not members of the European Union to register upon entering and exiting the region.
Although the European Commission estimated that the average check-in time is about 70 seconds per passenger under optimal conditions, in practice, waiting times of between two and three hours have been reported during rush hours.
According to reports from airports and airlines, delays persisted even after partial relief measures were implemented, such as a temporary waiver of biometric data collection. Among other things, a flight to the UK was reported to have departed without 51 passengers, and another case involved no passengers arriving at the gate when it closed; even after 90 minutes, only 12 passengers managed to arrive.
The two organizations reiterated that they had already warned about difficulties in implementing the system several weeks ago. Now, they are calling on the European Commission and member states to allow greater flexibility in operating the system, including the possibility of a complete suspension in cases of exceptional loads.
The aviation bodies also emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between strengthening border controls and operational efficiency and passenger experience, especially ahead of the busy summer tourist season. They also noted that the disruption to air traffic flow could affect Europe's status as a tourist and business destination, at a time when the aviation industry is facing additional challenges.
Olivier Jankovec, CEO of ACI EUROPE, and Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director of A4E: “While we will continue to closely monitor developments in the coming days, it is already evident that greater flexibility is immediately needed. Border control authorities must be allowed to fully suspend the EES when waiting times become excessive. This is essential not only in the coming weeks, but throughout the peak summer travel season. Our support for the EES and its objectives is unwavering. However, strengthening border management must not come at the expense of operational efficiency or the passenger experience. Safeguarding Europe’s reputation as an accessible and well-functioning tourist and business destination is at stake, particularly as air travel is already facing significant disruption due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.”