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EU's Entry-Exit System Faces Rollout Hiccups as Airport Queues Grow and Some Routes Delay Checks

The EU's new Entry-Exit System (EES) has caused long queues at some airports, leading Ryanair to adjust check-in times and some countries to delay enforcement. Cross-Channel travellers to France will not face biometric checks due to technical delays, while officials debate the system's performance.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage Apr 4–22, 2026 Published Aug 14

Lead

The European Union's new biometric border system, the Entry-Exit System (EES), is facing a mixed rollout as some airports report lengthy queues, while certain travel routes, including cross-Channel services from the UK to France, have yet to implement the new checks. The system, which requires most non-EU travellers to provide fingerprints and facial scans upon entry into the Schengen area, has been phased in since October, but its introduction has been uneven across borders.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from The Guardian highlight three distinct aspects of the EES rollout. One article details how long queues at airports in countries like France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Greece have led to waits of up to three hours, according to the Airports Council International (ACI), an industry body representing airports. Another article focuses on the specific situation for cross-Channel travellers, noting that passengers on Eurostar, Le Shuttle, and ferries will not face biometric checks because France has not yet provided the necessary technology. A third article covers Ryanair's decision to close check-in desks earlier to mitigate the impact of border queues, and notes that Greece has said it will not enforce the new checks on UK nationals this summer.

Key Claims

Delays and waiting times: According to the Airports Council International, travellers at some European airports are waiting up to three hours at border checks. Olivier Jankovec, the director of ACI Europe, told the Financial Times that the situation is "going to be simply unmanageable" in the peak summer months. He said the industry needs the ability to "fully suspend EES registration whenever there are excessive waiting times at border control that are just unmanageable."

Conflicting assessments of system performance: The European Commission maintains that the system is working well, citing an average registration time of 70 seconds per passenger. However, the ACI claims that the process can take up to five minutes. The two parties met on Tuesday to discuss the issues, according to the Financial Times.

Cross-Channel delays: Passengers travelling from the UK to France on Eurostar, Le Shuttle, or ferries will not initially face biometric checks, as France has not yet developed the technology to handle the process at the juxtaposed border controls located on UK soil. Sources at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel told The Guardian that France has not provided the required equipment. As a result, passport wet-stamping will continue for most travellers, with only lorry drivers, coach passengers, and ferry foot passengers already subject to EES since November.

Operational adjustments: Ryanair announced it will close its airport check-in desks 20 minutes earlier, requiring passengers to check in and drop bags one hour before take-off instead of the current 40 minutes. The airline says the move is not prompted by the EES but acknowledges that the system has contributed to longer passport queues. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has been quoted in multiple sources as calling the system "a shit show and a shambles" and suggesting the EU should postpone full implementation until October. Greece has also said it will not enforce the new checks on UK nationals this summer, citing concerns about border chaos.

Perspectives

The EES, which officially came into full effect on 10 April, has been phased in over several months. It requires non-EU citizens, including Britons, to register personal information and biometrics at the border upon entry into the Schengen area. The system has been years in the making, and its rollout has been uneven across member states.

Proponents of the system, including the European Commission, argue that it will enhance security and streamline border checks in the long run. They point to the system's gradual introduction and the flexibility given to border guards to relax rules if queues build up, as noted by EU officials.

Critics, including airport operators and some airlines, contend that the implementation has been poorly managed, leading to unacceptable waiting times and operational disruptions. The ACI has called for broader powers to suspend the system during peak periods, and Greece has already opted to delay enforcement for UK travellers.

The situation remains fluid, with the EU having directed border officials to exercise discretion until at least the end of July. Passengers travelling to Europe are advised to allow extra time for border checks, as some airports continue to face challenges.

How this outlet told it

The Guardian — World as of Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC

Framing: EU's new entry-exit system causing chaos at airports — Critical of the EES and its implementation

Facts Included:

EU's new entry-exit system (EES) is causing long delays at border checks
Passengers are waiting up to three hours at border checks
The EES requires passengers from non-EU countries to register their personal information and biometrics at the border
The system has been gradually introduced since October and has already caused long delays at some airports
Airport representatives and the European Commission held a meeting to discuss issues with the system
The European Commission said the system is working well, but the ACI claims it can take up to five minutes to register a passenger

Read the source article →

The Guardian — World as of Apr 4, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC

Framing: No biometric checks for UK passengers crossing to France — Informative and neutral

Facts Included:

Passengers crossing the Channel from the UK to France will not face new biometric checks
The EU's entry-exit system (EES) has been phased in since October
The system requires passengers from non-EU countries to provide biometric information at the border
France has not yet provided the technology needed to collate and process biometric information
The EU has told border officials they can exercise discretion to relax the rules if queues build up

Read the source article →

The Guardian — World as of Apr 22, 2026, 1:01 PM UTC

Framing: Ryanair changes check-in policy due to border queues — Informative and neutral

Facts Included:

Ryanair will close airport check-in desks 20 minutes earlier
The airline is requiring passengers to check in and drop bags one hour before take-off
The change is due to concerns over border queues in Europe
The EU's entry-exit system (EES) has been a factor in increasing passport queues
Greece will not enforce the new checks on UK nationals this summer

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe EU's new entry-exit system (EES) is causing long delays at border checks, with passengers waiting up to three hours.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC
ClaimPassengers from non-EU countries, such as the UK, are required to register their personal information and biometrics at the border under the EES.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe EES has been gradually introduced since October and has already caused long delays at some airports.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC
ClaimAirport representatives and the European Commission held a meeting to discuss issues with the EES.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe European Commission said the EES is working well, with an average registration time of 70 seconds, while the ACI claims it can take up to five minutes.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusContested via The Guardian — World as of Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC
ClaimPassengers crossing the Channel from the UK to France will not face new biometric checks due to delays in France's development of the necessary technology.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 4, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe EU has told border officials they can exercise discretion to relax the rules if queues build up, until at least the end of July.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 4, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC
ClaimRyanair will close airport check-in desks 20 minutes earlier to avoid passengers missing flights due to concerns over border queues in Europe.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 22, 2026, 1:01 PM UTC
ClaimGreece will not enforce the new EES checks on UK nationals this summer due to concerns over summer border chaos.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 22, 2026, 1:01 PM UTC
ClaimMichael O'Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, described the EES as 'a shit show and a shambles' and a punishment for Brexit, suggesting the EU should postpone its full introduction until October.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Guardian — World as of Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 3 articles consulted: The Guardian — World 10 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14