The European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) is under renewed pressure after emergency measures designed to prevent border congestion expired on Sunday, 6 September. The temporary rules, which allowed member states to suspend fingerprint and facial scans under exceptional circumstances, were introduced to ease pressure during the peak summer travel season. With their lapse, travel industry bodies warn that passengers could once again face lengthy queues and missed flights at Europe's borders.
The concerns follow a summer marked by significant disruption. According to the Airports Council International (ACI), wait times at some European airports stretched to five hours in July. Lisbon, Milan, Rome, and Krakow were particularly affected, with travellers enduring long delays as a result of malfunctioning kiosks, low staffing levels, and other teething problems in the system.
Industry voices speak out
Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, has been a vocal critic of EES since its launch in October last year. This week, its chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, did not mince words: “The EU's handling of EES has been a shambles from start to finish.” He added that airlines, airports, and border authorities had repeatedly warned Brussels that the rollout was not ready, that it would increase processing times, and that it would create excessive queues for passengers. “Those warnings were ignored, with EU citizens the ones delayed and disrupted,” McMahon said.
McMahon insists that the European Commission should extend the EES flexibility until at least April 2027, arguing that “passengers should not be made to pay the price for the EU's failed EES rollout.”
Matthew Pack, CEO of Holiday Extras, has also been scathing in his assessment. “Since the EU won't say this plainly, we will. These border systems have failed... EES hasn't worked,” he said. Pack drew a stark contrast between the official narrative and the reality on the ground: “There's the one in the announcements, where EES runs smoothly, and ETIAS is on track. And there's the one on the ground, the one holidaymakers actually queue at, haphazardly enforced by border guards, where everyone knows the truth: nothing here is working as planned.”
He called for an honest reassessment: “A system that needs this much quiet improvisation to function isn't ready. The honest response is to say so, roll it back, and rebuild it properly.”
The criticism comes despite a statement from the European Commission suggesting that EES has performed better than its detractors claim. “The system has broadly worked well over the summer and, until 6 September, we have the possibility to temporarily suspend registration of biometrics in case of exceptional circumstances,” a Commission spokesperson said last week.
For travellers planning autumn getaways, the uncertainty adds another layer of complexity. Those heading to popular destinations such as Slovenia or the Spanish Pyrenees may want to factor in extra time at border crossings. Meanwhile, broader travel disruptions, such as the recent rail strike in Italy, serve as a reminder that European travel infrastructure remains under strain.
The debate over EES also intersects with wider political tensions. As the EU seeks to strengthen its external borders, it faces pressure from within and beyond. The EU's recent pledge of €200 million to Greenland, announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, highlights the bloc's efforts to assert its presence in the Arctic, a region of growing strategic importance. Yet, at home, the smooth functioning of its own border systems remains an unresolved challenge.
With the winter travel season approaching, industry groups are urging the Commission to act swiftly. They argue that without a long-term solution, the chaos seen this summer could become a recurring feature of European travel. The Commission, for its part, maintains that EES is a necessary tool for modernising border management, but it has not yet indicated whether it will extend the flexibility measures.
For now, passengers are left to navigate an unpredictable system. As one industry insider put it, “The EU needs to decide whether it wants a border system that works or one that merely exists on paper.”
