European Travel Groups Urge EU to Suspend New EES Rules as Airport Lines Hit 7 Hours

Europe’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), which launched this past April after years of investment and preparation, has reached a critical point. Now, European travel leaders are demanding the power to suspend the program before summer lines spiral out of control.

In a joint open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the heads of ACI EUROPE, A4E, and IATA warned that the current implementation is creating “severe operational consequences” and placing the entire aviation ecosystem under “unsustainable pressure.”

Without immediate intervention, the letter says that the coming weeks of peak summer travel could trigger an industry disaster.

“As representatives of Europe’s aviation sector, we have a responsibility to warn that this would result in a significant worsening of an already very difficult situation for passengers,” the letter reads.

Several airports have already reported operational breakdowns because of the rollout. Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) in Lisbon has previously seen lines stretch to seven hours, while Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) left 100 passengers stranded on the tarmac after a three-hour border queue caused them to miss their flight. Across the board, industry groups say peak wait times are now regularly hitting the five-hour mark, forcing passengers to queue for extended periods outside terminal buildings and on exposed aprons.

These delays are mounting despite the fact that some countries have already hit the brakes on certain features, such as Greece temporarily suspending biometric checks for UK travelers through September.

With Europe expecting 40 million more passengers to flood into the Schengen Area during July and August compared to the last two months, the aviation sector is warning that the worst is yet to come.

“Without additional flexibility, existing challenges will inevitably intensify,” the letter reads. “As representatives of Europe’s aviation sector, we have a responsibility to warn that this would result in a significant worsening of an already very difficult situation for passengers.”