Europe's airports and airlines demand EES rethink as 'unacceptable' delays continue

The Entry/Exit System, or EES, records when non-EU short-term visitors enter and leave the Schengen area. It replaces reliance on traditional passport stamping with digital records and biometric data. Its purpose includes preventing visitors from exceeding the 90/180-day short-stay limit.

At a traveler’s first crossing of an external Schengen border, the system requires fingerprints and a facial image. The registration applies to third-country nationals visiting for short periods. Later checks use the stored information to verify the traveler’s identity and movements.

The system began on October 12th 2025 and was officially fully implemented in April. Since then, it has recorded almost 230 million entries and exits. However, its rollout has caused serious delays at several crossing points, especially airports in Italy and Spain.

At the most severely affected Schengen border crossings, travelers can wait up to five hours during peak traffic. The airport and airline groups say waits still routinely exceed two hours, nearly six months after the EES was fully implemented.

These delays have appeared at several crossing points since biometric registration began. Airports in Italy and Spain have been particularly affected. The disruption is linked to the need to collect and verify new biometric data, alongside staffing and technology problems.

The waits remain despite efforts by border authorities, supported by airports, to improve operations. The groups call the situation unacceptable because long queues can make passengers miss flights and connections. They are urging faster automated processing and changes to the EES and the Travel to Europe app before further peak travel periods.

When EES queues become very long, passengers face more than inconvenience. The airport and airline groups report unnecessary hardship, including missed flights and connections. Travelers may spend hours waiting before they can complete border formalities.

The congestion spreads through the airport. Queues occupy terminal space and disrupt passenger movement. They also create exceptional pressure for border guards, airport staff, and airline employees, who must manage crowds while continuing normal operations.

The problem can affect the wider reliability of European travel, even though the groups acknowledge that EES has strengthened external-border security. They say efficient crossings and faster, more seamless travel have not yet been achieved. Their proposed remedies include more staff, stable IT systems, better biometric verification, and wider use of automated facilities.

Registering fingerprints and facial images creates an extra process for travelers crossing an external Schengen border for the first time. The border system must collect and store biometric data before the passenger can continue. That makes each initial crossing more involved than a simple document check.

The airport and airline groups say verification should be optimized and “double verification” removed. Under the current arrangement, a traveler may provide information at a self-service kiosk and then undergo another check by a border guard. The groups also warn that duplicate EES profiles can be created.

These added steps become especially disruptive when many passengers arrive together. Limited kiosks, automated gates, staff, and unstable IT systems can slow the process further. The groups want one smoother verification process, fewer duplicate records, and technology that works reliably at busy crossings.

Self-service kiosks are meant to let travelers provide required information without relying entirely on a border guard. Automated border control gates can then handle eligible checks more quickly, reducing pressure on staffed booths and helping queues move.

The Travel to Europe app is intended to support remote pre-enrolment. If travelers can provide relevant information before arriving, less work may remain at the physical border crossing. The airport and airline groups say the app’s functioning needs to improve for that benefit to be delivered.

In practice, the groups report limited deployment of kiosks and automated gates, as well as problems with the app. They also want double verification removed and biometric checking optimized. Wider, more reliable automation could reduce queues, but the article says the current system still has not delivered faster, more seamless travel.

The immediate responsibility lies with the authorities operating border crossings in Schengen Member States. They must provide enough border staff, functioning IT systems, kiosks, and automated gates. They must also manage queues and apply the EES during real travel conditions.

EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said Member States had enough time to prepare and had agreed to the system. He urged them to prevent congestion during the Christmas holidays. The European Commission’s role in the article is represented by the Commissioner’s assessment and pressure, rather than direct operation of each crossing.

Airports and airlines are supporting border authorities, but they do not control the EES. ACI Europe and A4E are calling for structural changes, including better biometric verification and restored safeguards for long queues. National authorities therefore carry the operational burden, while the common EU framework shapes how the system is used.

The Schengen area is the group of countries operating the EES and sharing external-border procedures. The article identifies 29 members: 25 European Union countries plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Travelers entering from outside this area are subject to its external-border checks.

The 90/180-day rule limits short-term stays. A visitor may spend up to 90 days in the Schengen area during a rolling 180-day period, rather than staying indefinitely. The EES records entries and exits so authorities can calculate whether a visitor is approaching or exceeding that limit.

This rule explains why accurate border records matter. The EES has recorded almost 230 million entries and exits since its introduction and is designed to prevent overstays. It has also recorded 80,000 refused entries, including 2,000 attributed to security threats.