New EU system tripling time to get through border, airport boss says

A boss at Rome’s main airport said the EU’s new border system had almost tripled the time it took Britons to go through passport control, even after improvements were made.

It comes as Ryanair warns passengers traveling to Europe this summer to be prepared for long waits.

Border police at Portugal’s Faro airport also told the BBC there were faults in the Entry and Exit System technology, but insisted queues there would reduce rapidly.

The European Commission (EC) said disruption was limited at most EU airports and added that it would continue to support member states in implementing the system.

The following statements were included in the statement: “This support will continue to the fullest extent possible.”

The Digital Entry Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area, which consists of 29 European countries, to register their fingerprints and photographs upon arrival. Information is checked upon departure.

This is usually done using self-contained, automated machines known as “kiosks” and sometimes with border officials (e.g. for children under 12). New processes and machines have been phased in since October.

At some airports in Europe, queues formed for hours at passport control. Passengers even reported missed flights home.

This week Ryanair said its “failed EES rollout” had caused unnecessary delays and long queues.

The airline said UK passengers should “allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for long waits at passport control”.

Everyone we spoke to in Piazza di Spagna in Rome, always a popular destination for tourists from the UK and around the world, had an EES story.