European countries have been temporarily pausing new border checks during peak travel periods to prevent long queues at airports and ports following the implementation of the European Union’s entry-exit system (EES). The system, which requires travelers to provide biometric data such as facial scans and fingerprints, was fully rolled out in April and has raised concerns about potential delays.

At the beginning of July, the airport trade association ACI Europe warned that travelers might face wait times of up to five hours due to the new procedures. In the UK, Sir Roger Gale, the Member of Parliament for Herne Bay and Sandwich, raised alarms about the possibility of 12-hour queues at the Port of Dover, where EU border checks are conducted on British soil, suggesting such delays could pose safety risks.

However, industry representatives report that the anticipated extensive waits have largely been averted, attributing this in part to the flexibility afforded under the EES regulations which allow member states to temporarily suspend checks in exceptional circumstances if queues become excessive. Such suspensions require notification to EU border agencies. This contingency measure is scheduled to expire early next month and, according to the EU border security agency Frontex, will not be renewed. In response, travel industry bodies are advocating for an extension to avoid potential bottlenecks as travel continues.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle noted the airline is closely monitoring the EES’s impact but stated there have been no significant flight delays or missed flights since the system’s full activation. The Port of Dover, which had anticipated wait times of up to four-and-a-half hours during the busiest weekends in late July, reported a maximum queue of 55 minutes and average wait times under 20 minutes. At Folkestone’s LeShuttle, which operates a European border, EU checks are described as “fluid,” despite ongoing manual processing due to technical problems with self-service kiosks caused by a software issue originating in France.

Rome’s Fiumicino airport, which previously cited a “design flaw” in the EES system for doubled processing times, said conditions have gradually improved since full implementation, though it continues to temporarily suspend border checks when necessary. According to the UK travel association Abta, countries including Greece, France, Portugal, and Spain have also been pausing checks during busy periods.

Industry observers credit airlines and airports for improving staffing levels and better managing passenger flows, helping to mitigate delays. Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, representing independent British travel agents, characterized the EES rollout as smoother than expected despite isolated difficulties in locations such as Lisbon, Tenerife, and Milan. She suggested that the EU anticipated the strong pressure to ensure airports were adequately resourced ahead of the summer peak.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, emphasized the need for ongoing flexibility, recommending that the temporary suspension option remain in place not only for the summer but also beyond September to prevent passenger delays as travel volumes continue.