The European Commission has rejected demands from the aviation industry to temporarily suspend the new Entry/Exit System (EES). The decision comes despite widespread technical glitches, massive queues, and flight delays across Europe.
Airlines and major airport operators, including IATA, A4E, and ACI Europe, requested a moratorium to freeze the system until September. This would have allowed them to manage the peak summer travel season and resolve software issues. However, the European Commission refused, prioritizing the security of the Schengen Area’s external borders over passenger convenience.
Impact of the Entry/Exit System on Airports
The new biometric system became fully operational on April 10, 2026, replacing traditional physical passport stamps. Under the new rules, all non-EU citizens entering the Schengen Area must:
- Undergo an obligatory facial scan.
- Provide four fingerprints at the border control desk.
- Have their personal data entered into the unified Schengen digital database.
The main issue is the time required for initial registration. During peak travel periods, this has caused severe bottlenecks. At major hubs such as Paris, Geneva, Madrid, and Barcelona, border waiting times have reached three to four hours on peak days. In Greece, airport operators had to set up outdoor canopies to protect thousands of waiting tourists from the summer sun.
These widespread delays have raised questions about who is responsible for the disruptions caused by the multi-billion-euro digital project.
The actors behind the digital border system
A specialized EU agency and a group of private IT contractors are responsible for developing and implementing the EES system.
Technical and legal responsibility for the database lies with eu-LISA, the EU agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems. The agency is led by Executive Director Tillmann Keber and chaired by Rene Vihalem.
EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner acknowledged that the system is not yet operating perfectly but stated that suspending it is not an option. According to Brunner, the EES has already proven effective by automatically identifying individuals who overstay their 90-day limit.
Instead of halting the rollout, Brussels has proposed a compromise measure:
- Temporary suspensions: National border guards are authorized to temporarily suspend biometric registration for up to six hours if queues become critical.
- Security checks remain: This does not bypass security checks. Passports will still be verified against databases, but biometric registration will be deferred to a future entry.
Airlines express concern that these temporary six-hour pauses will not prevent widespread flight delays during the peak travel months of July and August. Meanwhile, eu-LISA has attributed some of the delays to national governments failing to procure adequate equipment.
Traveler guidance: Navigating the Schengen border in 2026
With the European Commission refusing to suspend the system, Frontex has recommended three steps for travelers to minimize delays:
- Time your arrival: Schedule arrivals for mid-week (Tuesday through Thursday) and early morning hours where possible. Weekend afternoon flights typically face the longest queues at biometric terminals.
- Use official mobile apps: Several EU member states have launched mobile applications allowing travelers to pre-upload passport details and personal questionnaires prior to departure, reducing processing times at the border.
- Subsequent entries will be faster: The extensive registration process is required only for the initial entry. Once biometric data is recorded in the EES database, subsequent border crossings within three years will be processed automatically, reducing wait times to seconds. Travelers must either prepare for delays or consider alternative destinations.