Overview
- The Entry‑Exit System (EES) replaced passport stamps with digital registration and biometric captures of fingerprints and a face image for non‑EU travellers.
- An ACI Europe survey on 26 May found queues of up to three-and-a-half hours at peak times across 45 airports in 20 EU states, with delays concentrated in holiday hotspots such as Spain, Portugal and France.
- Airlines including Wizz Air are advising passengers to arrive up to three hours before departure because extra exit checks have led to missed return and connecting flights.
- Some national authorities have used the EES rule that allows temporary suspension of checks, with Greece and France reported to have paused processing at times to clear backlogs.
- The European Commission says the system is working at almost all crossing points but accepts targeted suspensions when waits become excessive, leaving operators to manage staffing, kiosk failures and summer passenger surges.