Overview
- A coalition of airport and airline bodies published a joint open letter this week calling for immediate intervention and the power to suspend the EES to prevent widespread disruption.
- Since the system was declared fully operational in April, airports and ports have reported multi‑hour queues, missed flights and a Port of Dover critical incident with waits of up to four and a half hours.
- The industry is asking that countries be allowed to completely halt biometric checks when passenger volumes exceed border capacity for the peak July–August period and that a permanent operational flexibility mechanism be created thereafter.
- The European Commission has maintained the rollout is largely operational and has scheduled urgent talks with industry representatives, while some member states have used limited temporary suspension windows that industry says are insufficient.
- Stakeholders warn persistent problems with kiosks, repeated re‑enrolments, uneven staffing and low pre‑registration could take one to two years to stabilise and that prolonged disruption risks diverting millions of arrivals and billions in tourism spending.