Jet2, Ryanair, Easyjet, and TUI passengers travelling home via EU airports are being warned to allow three hours before their flights. The new European Union entry-exit system (EES), which replaced passport stamps with digital registration, is causing significant delays at border checks.
Wizz Air boss issues warning
On Saturday, Wizz Air boss Yvonne Moynihan said: “Because there is another passport check … that’s where we see that people have, again, experienced longer waiting times than anticipated.” She told the BBC on May 30 that, while usual advice would be to get to the airport two hours before a flight, “in these circumstances, we are advising three hours”.
Impact across Europe
Moynihan noted that the impact of the new checks was “fragmented across Europe”, with long queues at “usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France”. On her own trip to Majorca for half-term, there were no queues, extra staff were available, and there were a “significant amount of [EES] kiosks”.
Greece and France suspend checks
The warning comes after Greece lifted EES checks due to huge backlogs at airports. France also temporarily suspended the checks at the port of Dover as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays in hot weather. A spokesperson for the port described the situation as “challenging”, adding: “We are pleased that Police Aux Frontières (PAF) have responded positively by invoking the article 9 clause of the EES regulations.”
Advice for passengers
Moynihan advised: “When you land in the destination airport, there might be queues, so you should bring a portable charger or water.”
Airports report deteriorating situation
The European airports association ACI Europe has said the “situation is deteriorating”. It told Travel Weekly earlier this week: “The queues are up to 3.5 hours at peak traffic times, according to a survey we conducted among 45 airports in 20 EU states on 26 May. Airports which previously did not report excessive waiting times are now doing so despite the extensive use of partial suspension of EES.”
