'What to Do During Vacation Season?' Airport Queues Double: "Trapped for 2 Hours"—Travelers Struggle with New Entry System

EU Introduces Entry System "EES" This Year
Registration of Fingerprints, Photos, and Personal Information for Incoming Passengers
Some in the Travel Industry Say "It Is Poorly Designed"

The Financial Times (FT), a UK daily, reported on the 11th (local time) that due to the European Union (EU)'s new border entry system, the Entry/Exit System (EES), which was introduced in April this year, the waiting lines at major European hub airports this summer have become longer compared to the same period last year.

The EES is a system that registers the fingerprints, photographs, and personal information of passengers entering from countries outside the EU, including the United Kingdom.

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"European Airport Waiting Times Up to Double"

According to travel data analysis firm Qsensor, during the peak summer travel season this July, the maximum waiting time at Frankfurt Airport in Germany reached 120 minutes, which is double the 60 minutes reported during the same period last year.

During the same period, the maximum waiting time rose from 31 minutes to 60 minutes at Munich Airport in Germany, and from 80 minutes to 120 minutes at Amsterdam Airport in the Netherlands.

According to the FT, travel industry experts have consistently raised concerns that the introduction of the EES could lengthen wait times and create bottlenecks at airports.

Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, said, "The EES is badly designed," adding, "The registration process needs to be moved online." He also noted, "At 15 airports, the queues have become noticeably longer."

The EES was launched to enhance border security in the EU by tracking entries and exits, identifying those who have overstayed their visa periods, and locating criminal suspects. However, in practice, the system has experienced delays, technical glitches, and hardware problems.

Oliver Maxfield, founder of travel data company Qsensor, said, "As waiting times increase, anxiety is growing among tourists from the UK and North America about how long they will have to stand in line during the holiday season."

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Eight EU Countries and Switzerland Request Extension for Flexible EES Operations

To reduce time delays, many airports have switched off parts of the EES inspection process during busy hours—for example, omitting biometric data collection such as fingerprints.

The period during which such flexible operation is permitted is set to end on September 6 this year.

However, eight EU member states—Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, and Portugal—as well as Switzerland, one of the 29 Schengen Area countries but not an EU member, have formally petitioned the European Commission for an extension of the period allowing flexible EES operation.

The European Commission stated, "We are in close and constructive contact regarding the possibility of an extension after the summer."

An official from the European Commission said, "It takes an average of 70 seconds to complete EES registration," and added, "The impact on travelers arriving from outside the EU is mostly limited." The official also stressed, "The EES provides very clear security benefits."

Since the introduction of the EES, the number of registered entries and exits has reached 160 million cases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.