British holidaymakers are being urged to allow extra time at European airports before heading home, as biometric checks continue to cause significant disruption. Wizz Air chief Yvonne Moynihan has warned travellers returning from EU destinations to arrive at the airport three hours before departure, amid growing concerns over the new border security procedures.
New EU Entry-Exit System Causes Delays
The EU entry-exit system (EES) has replaced traditional passport stamps with a digital registration process, which involves biometric checks on both entry and exit for all non-EU nationals. Gradually rolled out across Europe since October last year, the EES came into full effect last month. Since its introduction, tourists have reported substantial queues and hold-ups at border control. Just last week, French police were forced to temporarily suspend EES checks at the port of Dover in order to ease the plight of thousands of tourists stranded in lengthy queues in sweltering temperatures, reports the Mirror.
Airline Advice for Passengers
Ms Moynihan told the BBC: "Because there is another passport check ... that's where we see that people have, again, experienced longer waiting times than anticipated." She noted that while the standard advice is to arrive two hours before a flight, "in these circumstances, we are advising three hours". The new measures have been "fragmented across Europe", she continued, with certain EU nations reporting "seamless travel", while at the other end of the scale, lengthy queues and delays have been recorded at "usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France".
"When you land in the destination airport, there might be queues, so you should bring a portable charger or water," Moynihan said her airline is advising in general to any British customers travelling from an EU destination. For passengers with connecting flights, she recommended allowing several hours for transfers.
Airports Association Reports Long Queues
Her remarks follow a warning from the European airports association ACI Europe, which revealed queues had reached a staggering three-and-a-half hours during peak periods, based on a survey carried out across 45 airports in 20 EU states on May 26. "Airports which previously did not report excessive waiting times are now doing so despite the extensive use of partial suspension of EES," it said in a statement to Travel Weekly.
Nevertheless, the European Commission informed the BBC that the EES was not the sole factor contributing to border delays, noting that registering information may take as little as a minute.
