Queues for passengers from outside the Schengen area are getting longer at European airports, with waiting times regularly reaching two hours. A nightmare for travellers setting foot in the Schengen area, and one that is likely to get even worse with the summer holiday peaks.
ACI Europe (Airports Council International), A4E (Airlines for Europe) and IATA (International Air Transport Association) have sounded the alarm to the European Union authorities. They warn that the Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES) is causing major delays for passengers, damaging not only the smooth running of air transport but also Europe's image. Without immediate action to introduce greater flexibility, serious disruption can be expected during the peak summer season, with queues of up to four hours or more, warn the three associations.
In a letter sent to Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, airports and airlines highlight the persistent excessive waiting times at airport border controls during the current phase of SEA deployment.
ACI Europe, A4E and IATA have identified three main factors exacerbating the delays: chronic understaffing at border controls, unresolved technological problems - particularly concerning the automation of controls - and the limited adoption by the Schengen States of the pre-registration application of Frontex, the European border police.
They urge the European Commission to confirm that Schengen Member States will retain the option of partially or fully suspending EES until the end of October 2026. According to the phased deployment foreseen in Regulation 2025/1534, the use of the EES registration system would become mandatory from July. Allowing the new measures to be partially or fully suspended until October would smooth the flow of traffic.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE; Ourania Georgoutsakou, Director General of A4E; and Thomas Reynaert, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at IATA, said there was a "complete disconnect" between the perception of European institutions that EES is working properly and the reality faced by non-European travellers, who are experiencing long delays and the inconvenience that follows. Some airports have decided to suspend EES formalities. These include Geneva and Lisbon...
