Holidaymakers returning home to the UK are being warned to arrive at European airports three hours early to avoid missing fights because of long queues from Entry-Exit System (EES) checks.
The EU’s post-Brexit EES biometrics system has caused delays at airports across Europe, with passengers marooned in long lines as they wait to have their fingerprints and faces scanned.
EES checks to replace manual passport stamping are carried out on non-EU citizens, including British nationals, arriving at and departing Schengen area countries, but there are fears the increased processing times will spark chaos this summer as millions of tourists pour into Europe.
Passengers have reported missing flights and being stuck for hours as they wait to be processed, with Europe’s main trade body for airports warning “the situation is deteriorating”.
This week, The i Paper visited Dover, where residents spoke of their fears of more local traffic misery after EES was suspended by French authorities at the port last Saturday – leaving ferry passengers stuck in bank holiday jams of more than five hours.
