Thousands of non-EU travelers are facing long queues, major delays and flight cancellations at many European airports, as a result of the implementation of the European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES) border control system.
The new system requires biometric registration of travelers from countries outside the Schengen area, including the United Kingdom, including fingerprints and facial photographs upon entry and exit.
Long queues and delays were reported at the weekend at several major airports, including Geneva, Lisbon and Malta, while problems also appeared in Brussels and the Netherlands.
According to reports, the situation continued in the following days, with passengers at Brussels Airport and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam reporting waits of up to two hours at passport control.
@easyJet our flight from Milan Linate took off without us due to Border Control being FAR too busy and the automated system not working. We are now stuck in Milan, missing work, spending money that we don't have and have to transfer from Gatwick to Manchester! pic.twitter.com/XfPshK5GZK
— Miss Benn (@Emily_Benn20) April 12, 2026
In some cases, travelers described chaotic scenes, with elderly people and families with children waiting for hours, while some of the automatic checkpoints were not working.
The situation worsened further in Milan, where some passengers reported feeling unwell and fainting after waiting in line for up to three hours.
Meanwhile, around 100 easyJet passengers were stranded at Milan Linate airport after they failed to pass through security checks on time and their flight to Manchester departed without them. The airline said the situation was beyond its control and described the delays as "unacceptable".
On the other hand, Ryanair's chief executive described the implementation of the system as "chaos" and "disorder", accusing the European Union of punishing British passengers after Brexit.
The Entry/Exit System (EES), which replaces traditional passport stamping, requires the recording of biometric data for all travellers from third countries. It was initially introduced in October 2025 and is expected to be fully implemented in April 2026.
Authorities and airlines are urging travelers to show up early at airports, due to the long waits the new system is causing./TCH
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