There is another passport check, and that's where people have experienced longer waiting times
A new European Union biometric border system, designed to strengthen security by registering the fingerprints of non-EU travelers at entry and exit, is now colliding with the realities of mass summer travel. Since its October launch, the Entry Exit System has processed 80 million crossings, yet its impact has fallen unevenly across the continent — smoothly in some places, chaotically in others — leaving passengers stranded in queues stretching beyond three hours. The tension between the ambition of unified digital governance and the friction of human movement at scale is playing out in airport corridors across Spain, Portugal, and France, with the busiest travel season still ahead.
- Queues of up to three and a half hours at European passport control are forcing airlines like Wizz Air to tell UK travelers to arrive a full hour earlier than they normally would.
- Some passengers have already missed return and connecting flights entirely, turning what should be a routine border crossing into a source of genuine disruption and loss.
- The system's impact is deeply uneven — a Wizz Air executive sailed through Mallorca during half term, while other airports in Spain, Portugal, and France have become serious bottlenecks.
- Airports are already suspending biometric checks temporarily when queues spiral, and Portugal is rushing 360 new border officers into service for July to absorb the pressure.
- Industry groups warn that summer peak season could push conditions from difficult to unmanageable, with the EU granting member states until September to pause checks at the worst-affected crossings.
- Travelers are being advised to carry water and portable chargers, build in generous connection buffers, and mentally prepare for a wait — the system has improved, but its hardest test has not yet arrived.
Wizz Air's UK chief Yvonne Moynihan has a clear message for British travelers heading to Europe this summer: add an extra hour to your airport arrival time and expect the unexpected at passport control. The cause is the EU's new Entry Exit System — a biometric registration requirement that captures fingerprints from non-EU travelers both when they arrive in Europe and when they leave. In theory, the process takes about a minute. In practice, some airports are reporting queues of up to three and a half hours.
Since launching in October, the system has logged nearly 80 million crossings, but its effects have been wildly inconsistent. Moynihan herself passed through Mallorca during half term without any delay — extra staff, plenty of kiosks, smooth passage. Yet that experience is far from universal. Spain, Portugal, and France have emerged as particular trouble spots, and the exit check — often overlooked by travelers — has become its own flashpoint, catching people off guard as they try to board flights home.
The European Commission maintains the system is functioning well at almost all border points, but a survey of 45 airports across 20 EU member states by industry body ACI Europe tells a more troubled story. More airports are reporting excessive waits, border officials are already suspending checks temporarily when lines grow unruly, and the trade group fears conditions could become unmanageable once summer travel peaks.
Portugal is responding by hiring 360 additional border officers for July. The EU has given member states until September to pause biometric checks at specific crossings during periods of extreme congestion. Moynihan is pushing for bolder action — more widespread suspensions during peak season — arguing that the volume of summer travelers will overwhelm the system's current capacity.
For now, the advice to passengers is simple if inconvenient: arrive earlier, build generous buffers between connecting flights, and come prepared for a long wait. The system has steadied since its chaotic early days, but the real stress test — millions of families heading to the continent for summer — is only just beginning.
Yvonne Moynihan, who runs Wizz Air's UK operations, has a simple message for British holidaymakers heading to Europe this summer: plan to arrive at the airport three hours before your flight home, not the standard two. The reason is neither mysterious nor temporary. A new European Union border system designed to tighten security is creating queues so long that some passengers have already missed their return flights entirely.
The culprit is the Entry Exit System, or EES, a biometric registration requirement that asks non-EU travelers to provide fingerprints when entering most European countries. The system then cross-checks that information when they leave. It sounds straightforward in theory. In practice, airports across the continent are reporting waits of up to three and a half hours just to clear passport control. Since the system began operating in October, nearly 80 million entries and exits have been logged. But the impact has been wildly uneven. Some airports have run smoothly. Others—particularly in Spain, Portugal, and France—have become bottlenecks that strand passengers and force airlines to rethink their advice.
Moynihan told the BBC that the delays are "fragmented across Europe," which is a polite way of saying the system is working in some places and failing in others. When she traveled to Mallorca herself during half term, she encountered no queues at all. Extra staff were on duty, kiosks were plentiful, and passengers moved through quickly. But that experience, she acknowledged, is not the norm. The airline is now telling passengers to expect long waits both when they arrive at their destination and, critically, before they depart to return home. Because EES information must be verified on exit as well as entry, the outbound journey home has become a potential flashpoint. "There is another passport check," Moynihan explained, "and that's where we see that people have experienced longer waiting times than anticipated."
The European Commission insists the system is working well at "almost all border crossing points" and notes that the actual registration process typically takes only about a minute. But ACI Europe, a trade body representing airports, surveyed 45 airports across 20 EU member states and found a different picture. More airports are now reporting excessive waits, even as border officials have begun suspending EES checks temporarily when queues grow too long. The trade group expects conditions to deteriorate further as summer travel peaks, potentially becoming "unmanageable."
Portugal, where some of the worst delays have been documented, is responding by hiring 360 additional border officers for its airports in July. The European Commission has given member states until September to suspend biometric checks at specific borders during times of exceptional congestion. But Moynihan is calling for more aggressive action. She believes the higher volume of summer travelers will stress the system beyond its current capacity and wants more countries to pause EES checks during peak season.
For passengers, the practical advice is straightforward but inconvenient. Arrive earlier. If you're connecting between flights, allow several hours between them rather than the usual tight window. Bring a portable charger and water, because you may be standing in line for a while. Moynihan acknowledged that the system has improved since its initial rollout, when technical glitches and staffing shortages created chaos. But the real test is still ahead. As millions of British families book their summer holidays to the continent, the question is whether Europe's new border infrastructure can handle the load—or whether more passengers will miss their flights home.
Notable Quotes
The long delays getting through passport control at some European airports have caused some passengers to miss return or connecting flights— Yvonne Moynihan, Wizz Air UK CEO
The impact of the new checks is fragmented across Europe, with long queues at usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, and France— Yvonne Moynihan, Wizz Air UK CEO
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why is a system designed to make borders more secure actually making travel slower?
Because the technology works, but the infrastructure around it doesn't. The fingerprint scanning itself takes a minute. The problem is you have thousands of people arriving in waves, and not enough kiosks or staff to process them all at once. It's like adding a security checkpoint without adding enough security officers.
So this is a staffing problem, not a technology problem?
It's both. Some airports have invested in more kiosks and hired extra people—Mallorca did this well. But others haven't. And the central IT system has had instability issues. You can't separate the two.
Why is the impact so different across Europe? Why is Portugal worse than, say, Germany?
The source doesn't specify, but the pattern suggests it's about preparation and resources. Some countries saw this coming and staffed up. Others didn't. Portugal is now hiring 360 more officers, but that's reactive, not proactive.
What happens if the situation gets worse in July and August?
The airline CEO thinks it could become unmanageable. The EU is allowing temporary suspensions of the checks at specific borders, but that defeats the purpose of having a security system. It's a pressure valve, not a solution.
Should people be worried about booking summer holidays?
Not about cancellations—the airline says fuel supplies are fine and schedules won't be cut. But yes, they should expect to spend more time at the airport. Three hours instead of two. That's the new reality.