New EU system tripling time to get through border, airport boss says

The EU’s new border system has nearly tripled the time it’s taking for Brits to get through passport control even after improvements have been made, a boss at Rome’s main airport has said.

It comes as Ryanair has warned passengers travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for extended waits.

Border police at Portugal’s Faro airport also told the BBC the Entry Exit System technology suffered from bugs, but insisted any queues there would go down quickly.

The European Commission (EC) has said in most EU airports disruption is limited, and added that it will continue to support member states in the system’s implementation.

It added: “This support will continue to the fullest extent possible.”

The digital Entry Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area – made up of 29 European countries – to register fingerprints and a photo when they arrive. The information is checked as they leave.

It’s often done using standalone, automated machines known as “kiosks” and sometimes with border officers – for example, for children under 12. The new process and machines have been phased in since October.

Some European airports have seen hours-long queues at passport control. Passengers have even reported missing flights home.

This week, Ryanair said “the failed EES rollout” was causing unnecessary delays and long queues.

The airline said UK passengers should “allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for extended waits at passport control.”

In Rome, a perennially popular destination for tourists from the UK and around the globe, everyone we spoke to in the Piazza di Spagna had an EES story.