As the summer season approaches, industry experts are warning British travellers to prepare themselves for long queues at airports across the EU. Waiting times could go on for up to six hours, depending on the affluence.
Since 10 April 2026, the new Entry/Exit System (EES) has officially been adopted by the European Union, with preparations having started even earlier. The automated system, designed to replace manual stamping, requires biometric data from non-European, third-country arrivals to any of the 29 nations that are part of the Schengen Zone: a facial image, fingerprints, passport information, as well as entry and exit dates.
Despite the fact that the EES has been in place for two months at the time of writing, issues still remain. Passengers have been known to miss their flights on several occasions due to long waiting times at airports across Europe, including in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
European air demand is set to be 💪 in summer 2026, with a shift toward intra-European travel over long-haul.
— IATA (@IATA) June 6, 2026
Among the main challenges, the Entry Exit System (EES) was highlighted by Rafael Schvartzman, IATA Regional VP Europe.#IATAAGM 👇https://t.co/1cPvgDVjre pic.twitter.com/7ytDtTJ9ur
With the traditionally very busy summer season approaching, industry experts are warning non-European travellers in general and Brits in particular to be prepared for long waiting lines caused by the EES. With approximately 52% of British adults planning on travelling abroad during 2026, according to a survey by National Rail and many of them heading to the EU over the summer, things could look grim.
“What we are seeing is a very hard risk of really challenging times or waiting times, talking about expectations of three, four, five, six hours, which is unacceptable. Without EES, it takes between 20 and 25 seconds to process a passenger. With EES, we are talking about 90 seconds and on top of that, you still have issues with technology; you can imagine what the breaking effect would be,” Rafael Schvartzman, the vice-president for Europe at the International Air Transport Association, said during the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, according to The Times.
The Iata vice president, who added that aviation is being treated as a political football, insisted on the fact that European states should man their borders sufficiently, make flight schedules known well in advance, ensure that electronic kiosks are operational, and suspend EES checks in advance when queues are likely to get too long.
The only legal exception to the new system that has been included in the roll-out is the possibility to pause biometric collection for six-hour windows during exceptionally busy times, a measure that runs through July and can be applied until September under certain conditions.
Schvartzman is not the only one to be concerned about the long queues. Earlier in June, Wizz Air began advising British passengers to get to the airport three hours before their flights due to the long waiting times caused by the new European Union border processes.
Moreover, in an interview with news outlet The National, the chief executive of transport platform Mozio, Nicole Kerr, warned future travellers.
“While a holiday is meant to be a relaxing and stress-free experience, experts have warned that changes to the travel industry could cause delays and confusion. While the new system is expected to reduce wait times at passport control in the future, Brits have already experienced long delays as the rollout continues,” Kerr said.
Over the coming months, Brits travelling to or from Europe are thus advised to arrive early at the airport – three hours before a flight should be considered as a minimum.
Later in 2026, Britons should also be prepared for the introduction of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will require visa-exempt travellers such as themselves to apply for a travel permission costing €20 per person before travelling to the EYU.
