THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

EU border rules causing travel chaos ahead of summer peak, industry warns European airlines and airports call for flexibility to suspend digital border system amid severe delays.

EU's new automated border checks come into force with travellers facing ... The EU’s new system of automated border checks comes into force on Sunday, leading to the risk of increased delays for travellers. The Entry/Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens to register at the EU border, with registration valid for a rolling three-year period or until the passport expires. The EU’s biggest countries, including France and Germany , will carry out only a handful of checks in a bid to avoid long queues at airports. Some smaller member states will have the system fully in place from Sunday and border officials will be able to suspend checks for short periods if processing times become excessively long. Every member state will have until mid-April to use automated checks for all passengers at their borders. If travellers refuse to provide biometric data, they will be refused entry. France's Interior Ministry acknowledged the system will be a "major challenge" for one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. UK authorities are warning those heading to Europe that while the checks should only take a couple of minutes for each person, they may lead to longer wait times at border…

Lifestyle Ryanair issues summer holiday warning and claims seven airports 'aren't ready' Ryanair's intervention comes after an open letter published online on Wednesday in which top representative bodies for Europe’s airports and airlines said that delays caused by EES had reached a “critical point”. mirror Bookmark Share Comments Lifestyle By Milo Boyd Deputy Travel Editor & Commercial Writer 11:03, 2 JUL 2026 Bookmark The airline highlighted seven airports (Image: Dmitri Zelenevski via Getty Images) Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Join us on WhatsApp Ryanair has issued a warning to families travelling this summer. The budget airline has lashed out at the EU’s passport control Entry/Exit System (EES), arguing that the system is not ready for the end-of-school-term travel period, when millions of families will travel across Europe for their summer holidays. Ryanair has called on European governments to suspend the rollout of EES until September, when the busiest travel period has passed, to prevent passengers, many trav…

EU rejects suspending biometric border controls despite 20 ‘difficult spots’ <p>Officials admit new post-Brexit EES system is ‘not perfect’, as airports and airlines voice fears over delays</p><p>The EU has rejected calls by airports and airlines to suspend the implementation of new fingerprinting and facial recognition border controls even though it admits there are “20 difficult spots” with queue chaos.</p><p>With only a week to go before the peak summer holiday season starts, EU officials admit the new entry/exit system (EES) is “not perfect” but will tell travel industry representatives that a full suspension is “not needed” and “not possible”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/07/eu-ees-border-controls-airport-queues-delays-brexit">Continue reading...</a>

Ryanair warns of long queues at 7 European airports Leisure Travel By Macaully Moffat Trending News Reporter Share 0 Comments Travellers to 7 key European holiday hotspots have been issued a fresh warning over lengthy queues due to the new EES (Image: Getty Images) This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald. British holidaymakers travelling to and from some of the most popular European countries have been issued a fresh warning over lengthy queue times. The EU's new entry/exit system (EES) was rolled out further earlier this year, meaning non-EU nationals travelling in Europe are now required to provide personal data, have their fingerprints scanned, and a photograph taken. Now, Ryanair has issued a fresh warning over the EES wait times, claiming the system is not ready for the school summer holiday travel period. The budget airline is again calling on European governments to suspend the rollout of EES until September, when the busiest travel period has passed. Ryanair warns Brits of 6-hour …

Europe's New Border Checks Are Already Creating Chaos 194 Europe’s new border checks are becoming one of the biggest travel issues of 2026. The European Union’s Entry/Exit System, known as EES , is now fully operational across the Schengen area, replacing traditional passport stamps with digital records, facial images, fingerprints and automated checks for non-EU travellers coming for short stays. On paper, the system sounds simple: faster borders, better security and clearer records of who enters and leaves Europe. In practice, the rollout has already created long queues, technical problems and warnings from airports that summer travel could become chaotic. The problem is especially important for British, American, Canadian, Australian and other non-EU travellers. It also matters for expats, digital nomads and frequent visitors who move in and out of the Schengen area and need to respect the famous 90 days in any 180-day period rule. Contents What Is the Entry/Exit System? The Entry/Exit System is the EU’s new digital border system for non-EU nationals travelling to the Schengen area for short stays. Instead of relying mainly on passport stamps, the system records when travellers…

Fears of summer travel chaos if EES rollout goes ahead By Rebecca Ann Hughes Published on 02/02/2026 - 13:00 GMT+1 • Updated 24/02/2026 - 7:29 GMT+1 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Airline groups say immediate action is required to combat 'chronic border control understaffing' and 'unresolved technology issues'. Transport organisations are urgently calling for measures to prevent the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) from causing summer travel chaos. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The full rollout of the bloc's new border controls is due to come into force on 10 April 2026. The European Commission has already announced it will allow member states "certain flexibilities" that will help ease potential congestion during peak traffic periods until September. Authorities at France's two largest airports are now requesting a suspension of the EES rollout over the summer. It comes after air transport organisations warned that waiting times may be significantly longer this summer with the biometric system in place. They are calling for urgent action to combat "chronic border control unde…

EU border delays 'not bearable' over summer, warns airport boss Holidaymakers face long waits under the EU's new Entry-Exit System, the head of Berlin's airport says.

Call to suspend new EU border system in peak holiday period as planes leave half full <p>Airlines and airports say passengers are struggling in queues of up to five hours for biometric checks</p><p>Airlines and airports have called for the new EU biometric border check system to be suspended during the peak summer holiday period, warning that some flights are leaving half full and passengers are struggling in queues of up to five hours.</p><p>In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, airlines and airports asked for an option to suspend checks under the system over fears the situation will get much worse during the busy summer season.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/01/call-to-suspend-eu-border-system-peak-holiday-period-europe-travel-airport-queues">Continue reading...</a>