Overview
- The EU Entry/Exit System, which went fully live on April 10, replaces passport stamping and forces first‑time biometric enrolment of fingerprints and a facial image for non‑EU travellers.
- Travel expert Simon Calder and multiple reports have singled out Milan Malpensa, Lisbon, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Copenhagen as current hotspots for lengthy EES delays.
- Industry bodies say technical faults and repeated re‑enrolments at kiosks, plus uneven deployment of staff and equipment, have raised average processing times from roughly 20–25 seconds to about 90 seconds per passenger.
- Airlines and airports are using short local pauses, extra staff and temporary manual checks, while some carriers and trade groups have urged a pause to the rollout to ease pressure during summer travel.
- Passengers face real impacts now, including missed connections and multi‑hour queues, and authorities warn stabilisation could take months to years with possible harm to summer tourism and local economies.