EU border system rolls out, airlines warn of summer delays

Travelers heading to Europe this summer are being warned to expect a slower airport and border crossing experience as the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System takes hold across 29 countries. Aviation groups say the biggest friction points are at the first touchpoint, where passport stamps have given way to biometric registration and border checks can bottleneck fast.

The system, known as EES, started rolling out on October 12, 2025, and became fully operational on April 10, 2026. It applies to non-EU nationals on short stays in the Schengen area and other participating European countries, including U.S. citizens visiting for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Instead of a manual stamp, EES creates a digital record of each entry and exit, capturing passport details, fingerprints, facial images, and travel dates. U.S. citizens do not need to file anything in advance and do not pay a fee, but they will be processed when they arrive.

Airlines and airport groups say the transition is already creating strain. In February 2026, ACI EUROPE, Airlines for Europe and the International Air Transport Association warned that EES was still causing significant delays and said severe disruption during peak summer travel was a real prospect, with queues potentially reaching four hours or more. They pointed to persistent understaffing at border control, unresolved technology and automation problems, and low uptake of the Frontex pre-registration app.

European officials argue the system is designed to speed up checks and improve security. The European Commission says a fully functioning EES can register a traveler in about 70 seconds. The European Parliament’s research service reported that by April 2026 the system had processed more than 52 million crossings, about 46 percent of total entries and exits during the phased rollout. It also recorded more than 27,000 refusals of entry and nearly 700 people identified as security risks.

For American travelers, the main practical change is that the first crossing under EES will be the slowest. That is when border officers collect the biometric data and create the digital file; later crossings should require only a quicker verification, although airlines and airports warn the rollout may still be uneven from one airport to another. The pressure is expected to be highest at busy external-border airports and other entry points where staffing and technology are still catching up.

EES is also part of a wider border shift that will continue later this year. ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System for visa-exempt travelers to 30 European countries, is scheduled to begin in the last quarter of 2026. For now, Europe’s new border regime is already changing the rhythm of arrival, with the first scan, the first fingerprint and the first queue setting the tone for the rest of the trip.