Airports brace for summer delays as EU rejects calls to pause EES

The European Union (EU) has refused to hit pause on the new Entry/Exit System (EES) to help airports and airlines deal with the upcoming summer holidays and a surge in travellers. 

EU says suspending EES is "not needed" and "not possible"

Last week, the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe called on EU President Ursula von der Leyen to temporarily suspend the EES system. According to reports by the Guardian, the EU has since rejected the proposal, meaning the biometric border control system will remain in place.

While recognising that out of a total of 1.500 EU border crossing points, there are “20 difficult spots” where extensive queues are a problem, a full-blown suspension of the entry system was “not needed” and also “not possible”. 

The EU explained that it would be infeasible for the system to operate in only some countries and could lead to an “unfortunate situation of travellers stranded at border crossings.” 

EES has so far recorded 110 million journeys to and from the Schengen Area, and around 44.500 people were refused entry, the Guardian continues. The main reason for refusal was due to “no appropriate justification of visit or stay”, followed by travellers who had overstayed the 90-day visa.

EU airports to be busy this summer

Passengers heading to popular holiday destinations such as Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece have been experiencing “delays and missed connections,” according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the Irish airline Ryanair has also warned of “queue chaos” at airports such as Alicante, Málaga and Palma.

While refusing to heed calls from ACI, the EU has said it will put pressure on countries likely to see an influx of passengers. This could include encouraging them to implement measures such as having additional staff on hand to help.

Holiday-goers with a Swiss passport or a Swiss residence permit do not need to pass through the EES system because Switzerland is part of the Schengen Area. However, travellers should still expect delays at several airports in the EU.