The summer holiday season is about to get a lot more complicated for UK travellers as they face long queues at airports across Europe due to the introduction of the much-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES). The new digital border control system, which requires passengers to register fingerprints and a photo alongside a passport scan, has already caused significant delays for passengers in 29 European countries.
The EES tracks who enters and leaves the Schengen free movement zone – an area covering countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. UK citizens, along with other 'third country' nationals, must provide biometric data at passport control, while some passengers, including children under 12, will have their passports checked by border staff instead.
Wizz Air's UK boss has warned passengers to arrive three hours before their flight home to avoid long waits. Meanwhile, improvements are planned in some of the worst-affected areas, such as Portugal, which has announced hundreds of extra border staff for July. Passengers are advised to follow their airline's guidance on how early to arrive at airports.
The summer holidays will put the new system to the test, with Greece being the only country not applying biometric checks to British visitors during peak season. The European Commission has given permission for the system to be suspended in 'exceptional circumstances' until September.