British travelers heading to Europe during the Easter holiday may encounter lengthy delays of up to two hours at border control checkpoints due to the implementation of new stringent entry regulations.
Airports and airlines are cautioning about potential bottlenecks arising from the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES). The EES mandates that all non-EU passport holders must undergo fingerprint registration and have their photos taken upon initial entry into the Schengen zone, with subsequent verification at each border crossing.
Effective immediately, all non-EU arrivals are subject to these checks. Previously, only half of passengers were processed at border points. The Airports Council International (ACI) reported escalating wait times at border crossings, with peak periods seeing delays of up to two hours or longer at some airports across Europe.
Recent data revealed that over 4,000 holidaymakers were caught off guard by the new regulations since the soft launch in October. As the transition period concludes, processing times for passengers at border checkpoints are set to increase. Larger airports are directing travelers to kiosks for photo and fingerprint collection, while smaller airports handle the process manually.
ACI’s Director General, Olivier Jankovec, and Airlines for Europe’s Managing Director, Ourania Georgoutsakou, expressed concerns about prolonged wait times at border control during the Easter season due to ongoing operational challenges with the EES rollout.
They urged the European Commission and member states to allow for suspensions of the EES, if necessary, throughout the upcoming summer season in 2026. The flexibility to suspend the system has been crucial in averting operational disruptions during its phased implementation. If technical issues persist, they recommended retaining this flexibility for future peak travel periods like winter 2026-27.
Meanwhile, EasyJet, the UK’s largest airline, anticipates its busiest Easter period ever, forecasting a 25% increase in travelers compared to the previous year. The airline plans to operate 16,000 flights from the UK during the school holidays, including 5,000 flights over the Easter weekend.
Government ministers cautioned that the introduction of the EES will bring significant changes for British travelers this Easter. Minister for Border Security, Alex Norris, advised passengers to allocate extra time for travel both to the EU and upon return to the UK, suggesting they verify details with their airline before departure.
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