The European Union is considering an unprecedented emergency step to temporarily suspend its new biometric entry and exit system, the EES, after it triggered long delays at borders, missed flights and operational chaos at airports and seaports in places including Greece, France and Italy. Officials now warn that normal operations may still be more than a year away.
The emergency mechanism, confirmed by Frontex and the European Commission, would let member states stop biometric registration at specific checkpoints if waits become unbearable. But officials say it is a last resort, and it expires in September, leaving only a short window of flexibility during the summer travel peak. Under EES, non-EU citizens and other third-country travelers entering Schengen must provide facial images and fingerprints at first registration.
The strain has already been felt in major hubs. At Athens International Airport, 20 to 50 Ryanair passengers bound for London missed their flight after getting stuck in a "crazy queue" at passport control. Earlier this week, about 150 Ryanair passengers were left behind at Toulouse-Blagnac in France, and in April, 100 easyJet passengers were stranded at Milan Linate after passport queues stretched to three hours. Travel experts warn summer waits could reach six hours, especially in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy.
The problem is not limited to aviation. Ferry industry group Interferry says the rollout has been inconsistent and poorly coordinated across European ports. Stena Line reported delays at Hook of Holland, worsened by confusion between EES and the future ETIAS system and by the near absence of the EU’s Travel to Europe app. Brittany Ferries said French authorities had to limit biometric collection to foot passengers because mobile tablets for vehicle passengers were not working. EU officials say member states can suspend biometric checks during peak congestion, and that the system, which has already logged nearly 90 million entries and exits since October 2025, should become faster once a basic database is built. Frontex says full stability could still take one to two years.
