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EU border system tripling passport control wait times, airport boss says

newsJul 19, 202638706

Ivan Bassato, chief aviation officer at Rome Fiumicino airport, told the BBC the EU's new digital Entry Exit System has nearly tripled passport‑control times for UK nationals, rising from about seven minutes before EES to about 20 minutes now. EES, phased in since October, requires non‑EU visitors to the Schengen area to register fingerprints and a photo on arrival, typically at standalone kiosks or at e‑gates for eligible travellers; children under 12 must be processed by a border officer. Fiumicino found it impractical to handle large volumes at the €12m kiosks and says integration with e‑gates “improved things significantly” but did not restore pre‑EES speeds. Ryanair warned UK passengers to allow extra time for summer travel, and some passengers reported hours‑long queues and missed onward connections. Border police at Faro, Portugal, told the BBC the EES technology had bugs but expected queues to fall quickly. The European Commission said disruption is limited at most airports and that it will continue full support to member states implementing the system.

Otto English
@ottoenglish.bsky.social

Hard Brexit has led to misery and missed flights for thousands of British travellers this summer. And it's about to get a lot worse with the rush. Don't get caught out, and don't forget who to blame... spoiler, it's not the EU that is just "protecting its borders" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

60012h ago
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