The head of Europe's airports lobby has warned that the EU's new digital border control system is not working, saying he does not know how airports will cope with the expected summer surge in traffic.
Stefan Schulte, president of ACI Europe, told an industry event in Prague: “Passengers are queuing for hours at peak traffic times and I just do not know how we will be able to cope in the coming weeks with the expected increase in traffic.”
“EU airports chief warns new border system is causing chaos and he doesn't know how airports will cope this summer.”
Schulte, who also heads the company that owns Frankfurt Airport, said politicians should “stop pretending... that EES is working just fine. It is not.”
Earlier this year, the EU completed the roll-out of its Entry-Exit System (EES), which requires travellers from outside the EU to register biometric information – including facial scans and fingerprints – when entering most European countries. The data is then checked each time they leave.
The system has been blamed for significant delays at a number of airports, with some passengers missing flights. Earlier this month, dozens of Ryanair passengers were left stranded in Athens after their flight to London Luton departed without them. Ryanair cited border delays, while the airport said it had experienced congestion linked to “additional processing requirements”, though neither directly blamed EES.
In April, passengers due to fly from Milan Bergamo and Milan Linate to Manchester also missed their flights due to problems at passport control.
Wizz Air has previously urged British holidaymakers to arrive at European airports three hours before their flight home departs because of lengthy queues caused by the new border checks.
Schulte called for urgent action: “We urgently need full flexibility for border control authorities to suspend the EES whenever needed to avoid further chaos – along with a rethink of those processes.” He added: “This is about showing respect and decency for those who chose to travel to the EU, and safeguarding our reputation as a welcoming and efficient destination.”
The European Commission is allowing EES to be suspended in some circumstances until September. But Schulte told the BBC's World at One programme that individual governments, not airports themselves, must decide to suspend the system, and that queues lengthen while such decisions are being made.