Full Breakdown
EU Entry and Exit System Triggers Long Passport Queues for British Holiday Travelers
6/8/2026, 11:50:52 AM
Core Event
The European Union’s Entry and Exit System (EES), introduced for the peak holiday season, is generating passport-control queues of three to six hours at airports. IATA vice-president for Europe Rafael Schvartzman warned the “hard risk” of such waits has already caused passengers to miss flights.
Background & Context
EES requires every traveller from outside the bloc to submit details, fingerprints and a facial photograph, verified at departure. It replaces passport-stamping, extending processing time from 20-25 seconds to roughly 90 seconds per passenger.
Data & Statistics
Schvartzman quantified a three-fold increase in processing time. Queues range from three hours at Milan Linate Airport to six hours elsewhere. Over 100 easyJet passengers were stranded in Milan, and a Ryanair flight from Toulouse to London left without 150 travellers in queues.
On-the-Ground Reports
Airlines responded. WizzAir advises passengers to arrive three hours before UK-bound departures. Ryanair executive Michael O’Leary said the carrier will not hold flights for delayed passengers. Holiday destinations such as Lisbon, Lanzarote, Alicante and Mallorca have seen severe congestion.
Official Statements & Responses
Schvartzman urged travellers to allow “more time at the airport than you might be used to” and called for continued temporary suspension of checks beyond September. O’Leary emphasized Ryanair’s policy of boarding those present at the gate, attributing missed connections to passport-queue delays rather than airline actions.
Criticism & Opposition
Airlines and passengers call the system “unacceptable” and say it disproportionately burdens British travellers, EU’s largest non-EU visitor cohort. Schvartzman noted some states tried to grant exceptions for British citizens, but insisted “every passenger should be treated the same.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
EU rules allow member states to suspend EES checks until September, but many have not used this flexibility. Reports note some travellers previously registered under the system had to repeat the process, while data on affected passengers remain unavailable.
Verbatim Quotes
- “What we are seeing is a very hard risk of really challenging times or waiting times, talking about expectations of three, four, five, six hours which is unacceptable,” — Rafael Schvartzman, IATA Vice-President for Europe
- “Ryanair takes every passenger that is in the boarding gate when the boarding goes out. Passengers miss their flight not because we’ve left them behind but because they are stuck in somebody’s passport queue,” — Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair
- “Without EES it takes between 20 and 25 seconds to process a passenger. With EES we are talking about 90 seconds and on top of that you still have issues with technology you can imagine what the breaking effect would be.” — Rafael Schvartzman, IATA Vice-President for Europe
- “The advice is simple: allow much more time at the airport than you might be used to.” — Rafael Schvartzman, IATA Vice-President for Europe
What’s Next
IATA has urged EU authorities to keep the temporary suspension mechanism active beyond September, citing ongoing technical challenges. Airlines continue to recommend earlier airport arrivals, while passengers await clearer guidance on the system’s long-term implementation.
