Delays from new EU border system may not ‘stabilise’ for two years, official says | Travel & leisure
The new EU border system, which has caused hours-long delays at major airports, “may not be stable” for two years, an official has warned.
Uku Särekanno, director of EU border agency Frontex, said some member states were “struggling” to adopt the entry/exit system (EES), which requires travelers from non-EU countries to register their personal information and biometrics at the border.
Särekannot said at an event hosted by UK travel association Abta: “We expect the situation to stabilize within a year or two.
“The most challenging part is the initial registration, when fingerprints and facial images are taken. If a person visits the EU again, they do not have to go through the same process, so the entry process can be faster.”
EES was first introduced last October before being fully rolled out on April 10. EU rules allow checks to be suspended to avoid queues during busy periods, but this is expected to expire in September.
There are fears the checks could contribute to summer travel chaos in Europe, with consumers nervous about bookings and delays.
Särekanno said European member states were “still trying to adapt to the new reality”.
“There are those with dedicated resources who manage this quite well,” he said. “There are others who are still struggling. This adjustment…takes some time and effort.”
In May, French police temporarily suspended extra checks at the port of Dover. Greece will suspend biometric checks on British travelers until September to avoid summer disruption, Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni told the BBC.
British travelers have faced major delays at border controls.
Mark Tanzer, Abta’s chief executive, said problems with the EES system could damage demand among British holidaymakers this year.
“The introduction of the EU entry/exit system creates an unhelpful and potentially damaging basis for summer travel to EU destinations,” he said. “There are clearly some hotspots and we urge destinations to use the contingency flexibility allowed under the regulation to suspend biometric registration where queues are unacceptably long.”
He added that holiday bookings for early summer were also affected by uncertainty around the conflict in the Middle East and the rising cost of living.
“There is evidence from our research that overall concerns and the rising cost of living here have reduced booking levels at the start of the season,” he said
Consumers are increasingly booking holidays due to fears about the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on travel. The war triggered a rise in global oil prices; jet fuel costs have risen even more sharply, bringing with them the possibility of higher airfares. However, as feared, many flights were not canceled during the lucrative summer holiday season.
Speaking at the Abta conference, Shaun Morton, managing director of holiday operator On the Beach, said shorter delivery times were “creating uncertainty and making planning difficult” as bookings continued to come in.
“We already have a price-sensitive and fickle consumer who is booking on a later booking curve, and this consumer is now also worried about coming out of this war – more inflation, fuel shortages and fuel surcharges,” he said.
But he still predicted that the summer travel market would grow overall this year. “This late cycle will eventually reverse when conditions allow,” Morton said. “It’s cyclical… People are missing their holidays this year, I’m sure they’ll make sure they don’t miss their holidays next year, too.”
Shares in On the Beach have fallen 30% this year, including a sharp decline last month when the group warned holidaymakers would book towards the end of this year.
