Suspend new EU border checks ahead of peak summer periods, say aviation bosses

Neil Lancefield, Press Association Transport Correspondent

New EU border checks causing five-hour delays should be suspended ahead of peak summer periods, aviation industry leaders said.

UK holidaymakers are among those suffering long hold-ups because of the Entry Exit System (EES).

The system, rolled out fully in April, involves people from third-party countries such as the UK having their fingerprints registered and photograph taken to enter the Schengen Area, which consists of 29 European countries, mainly in the EU.

For most UK travellers, the process is done at foreign airports.

Senior figures at three major aviation industry bodies wrote a joint letter to the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen warning that the implementation of EES is creating “severe operational consequences disrupting passengers and putting border authorities, airports and airlines under unsustainable pressure”.

They called for her “immediate intervention” as waiting times at border control have “increased significantly, now reaching up to five hours”, with the delays “impacting millions of passengers”.

The letter insisted that EU member states are making “extensive use” of a temporary flexibility allowing them to suspend the collection of biometric data during busy periods until September, but this has “not prevented excessive queues”.

It called for countries to be allowed to “completely suspend EES preventively” when the number of passengers will exceed the “operational capacity” of border control facilities until the end of August.

They are also seeking a “permanent operational flexibility mechanism” to allow the suspension of EES “under clearly defined exceptional circumstances”.

The letter went on: “We are now entering the busiest period of the year.

“During July and August alone, European airports are expected to handle approximately 40 million more passengers than during the previous two months.

“The commission and member states must take stock of the reality of the current situation and of what our air transport system will face over the coming weeks.

“Without additional flexibility, existing challenges will inevitably intensify.”

The letter was written by Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines for Europe; Olivier Jankovec, director-general of Airports Council International Europe; and Thomas Reynaert, senior vice president for external affairs at the International Air Transport Association.

Airports in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy have been reported to be among the worst affected by EES queues.

More than 100 easyJet passengers missed a flight from Milan Linate to Manchester in April because of delays at passport desks caused by the ramping up of EES.

Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs for travel trade organisation Abta, called on the European Commission to “act now”.

He said five-hour delays are “the exception not the rule” but queues at some airports are “completely unacceptable”.

He added: “Whilst the industry remains supportive of the longer-term objectives of EES, it is clear the system can no longer be delivered on the existing timeline.”

Some 41% of respondents to a YouGov survey of 437 British adults who plan to travel to Europe in the next 12 months said they will allow more time for their journey because of EES.

The poll was conducted on June 27.

About 1,700 border crossing points require use of EES.

The system was introduced to boost security and speed up border checks by reducing the need to stamp passports.

Addressing an Abta summit in Westminster last month, Uku Sarekanno, deputy executive director of EU border agency Frontex, said it may take two years for EES to “stabilise”.