New EU border system triples passport control time, airport boss says
The EU's new Entry-Exit System (EES) has nearly tripled passport control times for Brits, including at Rome's Fiumicino airport, from 7 to 20 minutes. Ryanair warns of longer waits this summer.
The head of Rome's main airport has said the EU's new border system has nearly tripled the time it takes for Brits to get through passport control, even after improvements. Ryanair has warned passengers travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for extended waits. Border police at Portugal's Faro airport told the BBC the Entry Exit System technology suffered from bugs but insisted queues would go down quickly. The European Commission has said disruption is limited at most EU airports and will continue to support member states in implementation.
The digital Entry Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area (29 European countries) to register fingerprints and a photo on arrival. The information is checked on departure. It is often done using standalone automated kiosks, and sometimes with border officers, for example for children under 12. The new process and machines have been phased in since October.
Some European airports have seen hours-long queues at passport control, with passengers reporting missed flights home. This week, Ryanair said 'the failed EES rollout' was causing unnecessary delays and long queues, urging UK passengers to 'allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for extended waits at passport control.'
In Rome, a popular tourist destination, everyone the BBC spoke to in Piazza di Spagna had an EES story. Rome's Fiumicino airport has found it impractical to have large volumes of passengers using self-service kiosks, despite their €12m cost. Now, UK nationals can register fingerprints and photos at passport e-gates instead of standalone machines. Children under 12 cannot use them and must go to a border officer. Ivan Bassato, the airport's Chief Aviation Officer, told the BBC integration with e-gates 'improved things significantly' but the complexity means time for UK nationals to cross the border has risen from 7 to 20 minutes. 'We are not at the point where you have the same quality of the process [as] before the EES,' he said. Bassato added the airport prides itself on being well-set with technology, so it was 'absolutely not okay with' waits of one or two hours. 'I think that we need to fix urgently certain aspects of the system.'
