Europe airport chaos: UK travellers asked to arrive 3 hours early as border checks cause delays

Passengers travelling between the UK and several European destinations are facing delays because of the European Union’s Entry Exit System (EES), a new border management scheme that requires non-EU travellers to register biometric data, including fingerprints, when entering participating countries.The information is then verified again when travellers leave, creating additional passport-control checks at airports. Since its rollout, nearly 80 million entries and exits have been recorded under the system, according to European authorities.

Wizz Air advises passengers to arrive earlier

Speaking to the BBC, Wizz Air UK managing director Yvonne Moynihan said some travellers had already missed return or connecting flights because of unexpectedly long waits at border checkpoints.While passengers are typically advised to reach airports around two hours before departure, Moynihan said the airline is now recommending arriving at least three hours ahead of flights from Europe to the UK.She also advised travellers with connecting flights to leave several hours between connections to account for potential delays at passport control.

Spain, Portugal and France among key hotspots

According to Moynihan, the impact of the EES has varied across Europe. Some airports have managed the transition smoothly with additional staff and self-service kiosks, while others have seen significant congestion.Popular holiday destinations in Spain, Portugal and France have emerged as some of the main pressure points, with passengers reporting lengthy waits both on arrival and departure.Travellers have been advised to prepare for queues by carrying essentials such as water and portable phone chargers.

Airports warn of growing disruption

Airports Council International (ACI Europe), which represents airports across the continent, said a recent survey of 45 airports in 20 EU countries found that EES-related delays were reaching as long as three-and-a-half hours in some cases.The organisation warned that the situation could worsen as summer travel demand rises, despite border authorities increasingly using temporary suspensions of EES checks to ease bottlenecks.ACI Europe has called for improvements to border staffing levels and technical systems supporting the rollout.

Greece relaxes checks for British travellers

In an effort to avoid major disruption during the peak holiday season, Greece has effectively suspended biometric EES checks for British citizens at its borders.The move comes amid concerns that long queues could affect passenger flows at some of the country’s busiest tourist gateways.

Travellers fear missing flights

Concerns about delays are already influencing travel plans. A recent survey commissioned by Booking.com found that 59 per cent of UK holidaymakers planning trips to Europe this year expect disruption linked to the EES.Nearly half said they were worried about missing flights because of border queues, while more than half planned to arrive at airports earlier than usual. Around 12 per cent said they intended to reach airports at least four hours before departure.

EU says system largely functioning as intended

The European Commission has maintained that the EES is operating effectively at most border crossing points and noted that biometric registration typically takes around a minute per traveller.Officials have also stressed that member states are responsible for ensuring adequate staffing and smooth implementation of the system. Portugal, one of the countries where long waits have been reported, has announced plans to deploy an additional 360 border officers at airports from July.

What travellers should know

For passengers flying between the UK and Europe this summer, airlines and airport bodies are advising extra caution:

With summer passenger numbers set to rise sharply in the coming weeks, aviation industry groups warn that managing EES-related delays will remain a key challenge across Europe’s airports.