World
EES Border Check Debacle is the EU at its Worst
— 3 mins read
Rome's airport boss says fingerprint checks have slowed the border
Europe's airports and airlines have asked the European Commission to suspend its new biometric border system for the peak summer season. Queues of more than five hours and flights departing half-empty have hit major hubs since the system went fully live.
The Entry/Exit System, known as EES, became fully operational on 10 April 2026 across the Schengen zone. It requires all non-EU passport holders, including British travellers, to have their fingerprints and photograph taken and logged on a database when they enter. It replaces the old passport stamp.
Five-hour queues and planes leaving half-empty
The rollout has caused serious disruption at some of Europe's busiest airports, including Rome, Milan, Lisbon, and Paris. The Guardian reported that some flights have departed significantly under capacity because passengers were stuck in border queues or missed connections.
Rome's Fiumicino airport, which handles around 50 million passengers a year, has threatened to suspend the system itself to avoid what its operator called a summer disaster.
The system was designed with limited input from airport operators, despite the fact that airports are the ones managing passenger flows every day.
Marco Troncone, chief executive of Aeroporti di Roma, told The Times the airport had done everything it could to speed things up. 'We managed to optimise the process on our end bringing this to 90 seconds, down from two minutes', he said. 'But this is of course not compatible with 50,000 to 60,000 passengers every day.'
'Limited input from airport operators'
Troncone said the system was designed with 'limited input from airport operators, despite the fact that airports are the ones managing passenger flows every day'.
Three industry bodies, ACI Europe, Airlines for Europe, and IATA, have sent an open letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asking for the system to be suspended or relaxed during July and August. All three are trade bodies funded by the airports and airlines they represent.
The costs of the failure do not fall on the people who designed it. Aeroporti di Roma is a commercial operator that has paid for its own kiosks and staff. Passengers absorb the queues. The Commission, funded by taxpayers across member states, faces no penalty either way.
Brussels says the system is working well
The Commission has said the system is 'fully operational and working well' and has blamed some delays on flight scheduling. Von der Leyen has acknowledged 'technical problems'. The Commission has so far resisted a full suspension, pointing instead to built-in flexibility that allows temporary pauses at specific borders.
The EES was designed to track overstays and tighten security across the Schengen free movement area. Supporters argue it will improve border control in the long run. Some airports have reported smoother operations, with problems concentrated at high-volume or under-prepared sites.
Industry groups have warned of lasting damage to tourism and connectivity if the disruption continues through the summer. The Commission is expected to respond to the suspension request from airports and airlines in the coming weeks.
