David Newton and his family arrived three hours before their flight but ended up stranded for a total of 11 hours in departures. They spent over five hours waiting in queues for EES checks, which require passengers to provide fingerprints and a facial photo.

Since its full launch on April 10, 2026, the EES has faced criticism for its efficiency. David described the chaos as ‘mayhem,’ with thousands of passengers queuing at border control. Only about a third of the 15 booths were manned during peak times, exacerbating the delays.

Technical issues have also plagued EES kiosks at major hubs in France—currently, around 25 kiosks are not operational. This has led several European countries to temporarily suspend biometric checks due to long queues.

A notable example occurred when Greece halted biometrics for British nationals amid rising wait times. ACI Europe warned that travelers could face delays of up to three hours during busy periods.

The manual processing of passengers takes approximately five minutes per person, significantly slowing down border processing times. David recounted seeing distressed travelers pleading about missing their flights: ‘There were people coming up crying, saying, ‘Excuse me, I’m going to miss my flight.’’

The European Commission maintains that the EES system functions well in most member states since its rollout. However, officials have not clarified how long the current technical issues will persist or how long suspensions in various countries will last.

This incident highlights ongoing challenges within the EU’s border processing system and raises questions about its readiness for peak travel seasons.

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