Aviation trade bodies reiterate call for summer EES suspension

Europe’s airports and airlines have repeated a call for the suspension of the Schengen Entry-Exit System (EES) ahead of the Easter travel peak.

 

Trade bodies ACI Europe and Airlines for Europe (A4E) are raising renewed concerns over the operational impact of the introduction the transition phase comes to an end during the Easter holidays.

 

Latest data collected from airports across Europe shows a continued deterioration in waiting times at border crossing points located in airports. 

 

Waiting times are now regularly reaching up to two hours at peak traffic times, with some airports reporting even longer queues.

This comes despite the continued use by border control authorities of both the partial and full suspension of EES processes at most airports during travel peaks – measures which have proven essential to mitigating queuing times and maintaining operational continuity.

With the next critical milestones approaching – namely the requirement to register 100% of third country nationals from  March 31, followed by the end of the transition period on  April 9 – airports and airlines warn that the situation risks deteriorating further. 

 

From that point onwards, member states will no longer be able to fully suspend the system in response to operational pressures, removing a key safeguard currently used to manage peak demand.

 

Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI Europe, and Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of A4E said: “Passengers entering the Schengen area are likely to wait even longer at border control during Easter due to the persisting operational challenges around the EES rollout.”

 

They added: “We reiterate our call on the European Commission and member states to extend the possibility to fully or partially suspend EES – where operationally necessary – during the entirety of the 2026 summer season. 

 

“This flexibility has proven vital in preventing catastrophic operational disruptions during the progressive rollout of the system. 

 

“If the technical and operational issues with EES are not resolved, this flexibility should remain available during future peak travel periods, such as winter 2026-27.”

They argue that “fundamental challenges” previously identified remain largely unresolved. 

 

These include persistent shortages of border control staff, technical and maintenance issues with self-service kiosks  and the limited use of automated border control gates, as well as continued concerns over the reliability of the central EES IT system. 

 

The deployment of the EES pre‑registration app by member states also remains very limited. Only Sweden and – more recently – Portugal have so far decided to make use of it.

Against this backdrop, Europe’s airports and airlines are expressing serious concern not only for the upcoming summer season, but already for these next few weeks. 

 

The combination of full registration requirements and reduced operational flexibility is expected to place unprecedented strain on border control operations, the two trade groups warned.

 

Business Travel Association chief executive Clive Wratten said: "The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) will cause delays during the Easter holidays - not just for families and leisure travellers, but also for those travelling for business.

 

“Seamless and frictionless travel is critical for people trying to get to conferences, site visits or training, where timing and reliability matter.

 

“Instead, these travellers will face delays driven by the surge in leisure travel, forcing them to build additional contingency time into their journeys and reducing their ability to stay productive on the move.

 

"These EES protocols risk creating a systemic bottleneck. When a process adds even a few minutes per passenger, at high volumes it doesn’t just slow things down - it can add hours of delay."