Travellers warned of five-hour airport delays as plea made to halt new EU rules

Travellers are being warned about possible delays of up to five hours at airports due to the EU’s Entry Exit System (EES), which fully rolled out in April. Britain’s passengers are among those affected because the system requires fingerprints and photographs for third-country arrivals such as UK travellers entering the Schengen Area, which covers 29 European countries. The reporting says most UK travellers complete biometric steps at foreign airports, and that delays are emerging during the summer peak period. Aviation leaders are asking for EES to be suspended ahead of peak months, arguing that the implementation is creating “severe operational consequences” and putting pressure on border authorities, airports and airlines. A joint letter to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen calls for both immediate intervention and the ability to completely suspend EES when passenger numbers exceed border-control capacity until the end of August. The letter was written by Ourania Georgoutsakou, Olivier Jankovec and Thomas Reynaert.