EU border tech causes chaos
The EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System triggered long queues and missed flights over Easter — Euronews called it a “systemic failure” after airports struggled with the rollout. (euronews.com) Reports from Palma and Milan describe long waits, with Palma warning passengers to arrive much earlier and Milan lines so bad some people fainted or vomited; more than 100 EasyJet passengers reportedly missed flights during the disruption. ( )
Europe’s new digital border checks caused hours-long airport queues over the Easter weekend, stranding passengers and forcing some to miss flights. (euronews.com) The Entry/Exit System became fully operational across the Schengen area on April 10, after a phased rollout that began on October 12, 2025. It now covers 29 European countries and replaces passport stamps for short-stay non-European Union travellers with digital entry and exit records. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) At first entry, the system records a traveller’s passport details, facial image and fingerprints, then checks those biometrics on later crossings. The rules apply to non-European Union nationals visiting for up to 90 days in a 180-day period, including many travellers from the United States and United Kingdom. (travel-europe.europa.eu, euronews.com) The worst disruption reported this week came at Milan Linate, where Wanted in Milan said passengers on an EasyJet flight to Manchester faced a three-hour border queue on April 12. The outlet reported that the flight left with 34 of 156 booked passengers after more than 100 people were delayed at control. (wantedinmilan.com) Passengers at Linate told local media the terminal was so hot that some people vomited or nearly fainted while waiting. Wanted in Milan reported that only two officers and one biometric machine were processing the line at one checkpoint. (wantedinmilan.com) Airlines for Europe and Airports Council International Europe said April 10, the first day of full operations, was marked by disruptions, delays and missed flights. On April 14, Airlines for Europe called three-hour border queues a “systemic failure” and asked the European Commission to allow full or partial suspension of the system until the end of summer where necessary. (euronews.com) The warnings were not new. In February, Euronews reported that airport and airline groups were already blaming chronic understaffing and unresolved technology problems, and said airport border processing times had risen by as much as 70 percent during the phased rollout. (euronews.com) The European Commission has defended the system as a security tool as well as a border-management upgrade. On April 10, it said the database had already logged more than 52 million entries and exits, more than 27,000 refusals of entry, and identified more than 700 people it described as security risks. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) The European Union agency eu-LISA, which runs the technology, said the rollout linked central infrastructure with national border systems across Europe and shifted the project into a phase of monitoring and optimization. It also said new carrier checks for some visa holders took effect on April 10. (eulisa.europa.eu) For travellers, the immediate change is simpler: longer waits at some border desks, especially on first registration, even as the European Union says the system is now live everywhere it is supposed to be. (euronews.com, travel-europe.europa.eu)
