Overview
- Europe’s airports report that the EU Entry‑Exit System has lengthened border checks by about 70 percent, producing queues of up to three hours at multiple hubs.
- Geneva airport saw waits exceeding four hours and the EES was repeatedly switched off to clear bottlenecks, with the airport advising arrivals to expect longer waits.
- Under EES, third‑country travellers must submit fingerprints and a facial image; about 10 percent are currently registered, rising to 35 percent on 9 January 2026 and to full coverage by April.
- Airports cite recurring system outages, partial or missing self‑service kiosks, an ineffective pre‑registration app, and shortages of border guards, with France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal and Spain especially affected.
- ACI’s Olivier Jankovec urges the European Commission and Schengen states to review or moderate the rollout, warning of severe congestion, systemic disruption and possible safety hazards if issues persist into January.