Photo: Shutterstock What was supposed to be one of the most important technological upgrades in the history of European border controls has become a point of contention between the aviation industry and EU authorities
The new Entry/Exit System or EES, which became fully operational on April 10, 2026, is designed to replace traditional passport stamping with a digital registration system, based, among other things, on biometric data.
However, the transition to the new system is accompanied by significant operational difficulties. According to an official warning issued by European aviation organizations, waiting times at border controls have reached up to five hours during peak periods, with consequences for passengers, airlines and airport operations
The problem is not limited to long waits. The organizations also reported passengers missing connecting flights, flight delays, and an unusual workload on ground crews and border controllers.
The EES system operates in 29 participating European countries. It is designed to digitally record the entries and exits of non-EU travelers for short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.
Instead of manually stamping the passport, the system collects information about the travel document, a facial photo and fingerprints, and records the dates of entry and exit.
The goal of the move is to strengthen border controls, detect exceptions to permitted periods of stay, prevent the use of false identities, and improve the authorities' ability to identify security risks.
However, when thousands of passengers arrive in short periods of time at busy airports, the identification and registration process can become a significant bottleneck, especially for passengers who are going through biometric registration for the first time.
In their warning, the aviation organizations describe situations in which passengers were forced to wait for long periods of time outside terminal buildings and in open areas.
At the same time, airlines were dealing with situations where passengers were unable to reach their boarding gates on time, even though they were already at the airport.
The organizations stressed that the problem is not limited to the continent's largest and busiest airports. Smaller ports serving popular tourist destinations may also struggle to cope with large waves of passengers in short periods of time.
In light of the difficulties, the three main organizations in the industry, ACI EUROPE, the European Airlines Association A4E, and the International Air Transport Association IATA, have appealed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to intervene.
The organizations demand that countries be allowed to temporarily suspend EES procedures when the number of travelers exceeds the handling capacity of border control systems.
They also sought to establish a permanent flexibility mechanism for exceptional situations and to improve a number of operational components, including the staffing at border checkpoints, the stability of computer systems, the functioning of self-service stations and automatic gates, and expanding the use of the early registration application.
However, the organizations clarified that this was not a demand to abandon border controls. In situations of exceptional congestion, they suggested temporarily returning to traditional control procedures, including stamping passports.
Alongside criticism from airlines and airports, the European Commission continues to emphasize the benefits of the system.
According to data published by the Commission on August 6, since the launch of the EES in October 2025, more than 150 million entries and exits have already been registered through it.
The Commission emphasizes that the system improves the authorities' ability to detect impersonation attempts, use of problematic documents, and deviations from permitted periods of stay.
This sharpens the central controversy: While the authorities emphasize the system's contribution to border security, aviation organizations demand that the technology be able to handle the actual traffic volumes of millions of passengers.