Technical failures plaguing Europe’s new biometric border controls have left thousands of travellers facing marathon waits at major airports despite a six-month implementation period, with industry experts warning the Entry/Exit System remains fundamentally “not ready” as Easter holiday chaos unfolds.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of travel business network The Advantage Travel, told BBC Breakfast this morning the digital border rollout across 29 European countries has been “blighted by problems” since autumn’s unveiling, with “multiple IT failures” forcing some airports to completely disable kiosks after passengers waited “hours and hours.”
Lisbon Airport descended into “complete chaos” today according to former UK and EU diplomat Rupert Joy, who wrote on X: “Loads of people missing flights despite arriving hours in advance because of insanely long queues to passport control. No one seems to be in control or to have any idea what to do.”
Another Portuguese capital traveller reported machines positioned at queue beginnings before passport control “just caused a massive queue leaving Lisbon,” highlighting placement issues compounding technical malfunctions.
Paris Charles de Gaulle witnessed similar bedlam, with one parent queuing over two hours alongside their under-12 child despite holding EU passports whilst “at least a hundred people” remained ahead in the immigration line.
Recent weeks have brought frustrated passenger reports from Tenerife, Geneva and Krakow documenting extensive waiting times as the Entry/Exit System—requiring non-EU nationals including British citizens to register fingerprints, photographs and provide accommodation proof, sufficient funds documentation, medical insurance and return tickets—struggles with implementation.
Ferry and Eurotunnel LeShuttle car passengers will encounter new EES machines this weekend though French computer systems remain only partially capable of utilising the technology, meaning they likely won’t be asked to engage with equipment. Coach passengers and lorry drivers must submit data regardless.
London St Pancras’s Eurostar continues traditional in-person passport control with the digital system still not functioning fully, whilst individual airports temporarily reverting to old-style checks during rollout will soon lose that option.
Experts warn summer travellers could face delays as airports lose temporary reversion capabilities, with current wait times reaching two to three hours during passport control processing as millions continue Easter holiday journeys.
The chaotic scenes follow October 2025’s gradual digital border implementation intended streamlining European entry procedures, though persistent technical glitches have undermined efficiency goals whilst creating unprecedented bottlenecks at major transit hubs.
