EES system under criticism, long waits at airports for entry-exit registration

Stefan Schulte, president of Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe), has expressed strong concern about the way the new Entry/Exit System (EES) is functioning for citizens of countries outside the European Union.

Based on the verification of travelers’ biometric data, the EES is being rolled out gradually by the EU. According to Schulte, however, this mechanism is causing major delays at border crossing points. He urged European institutions to acknowledge the concrete problems the system is showing and not present the situation as if everything were proceeding normally.

“During peak hours, travelers are forced to wait in line for hours. It is not clear how we will cope with the increase in traffic in the coming weeks,” said Schulte, who is also head of Fraport, the company that manages Frankfurt International Airport.

Difficulties with the EES, he said, have emerged at several airports in Europe. One such case was recorded in April, when passengers on the Milan-Manchester route missed their flights as a result of delays in passport control.

Schulte called for greater flexibility in the implementation of the system, suggesting that border authorities should be able to suspend it temporarily when circumstances require it, in order to avoid chaos and bottlenecks at airports. He also called for the system to undergo a general review.

At this moment, the European Union has allowed the temporary suspension of the EES in certain circumstances until the month of September. But Schulte stressed that the summer season continues even after that period and warned that, without additional measures, the system could face even greater difficulties.