British holidaymakers could be hit by painful delays of several hours when heading to Europe this Easter, travel experts have warned.
They may need to consider arriving at airports in the EU earlier than usual, amid warnings that disruption caused by the new post-Brexit checks could continue over the May bank holidays and summer.
Some people have faced queues of up to two hours at passport control in recent months because of the entry/exit system (EES).
Waits could double to four hours by the summer, airline groups have said, pointing to “critical” IT and staffing issues with the new system.
Tourists planning to use the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel have also been warned of the potential for “gridlock” on the roads as they head to France.
The biometric system – which requires non-EU visitors to provide fingerprints, have their passport scanned and their photo taken – began being gradually rolled out in October. The process, which replaces the simple stamping of passports, is being fully implemented on 10 April.
Though it comes at the end of England’s Easter school holidays, travel experts say families still face potential disruption in early April due to roll-out problems.
Airport chaos in Spain, Portugal and France
Passport control checkpoints at EU airports have suffered “persistent” waiting times of up to two hours in recent months due to EES checks, according to the Airports Council International (ACI) Europe.
The organisation, which represents more than 600 airports, has warned that queues could stretch up to four hours or more by the summer unless “critical” problems are fixed.
British tourists have had to wait two hours to have passports checked at Lanzarote Airport in Spain recently, according to the island’s tourist federation chief Susana Pérez.
Travellers previously told The i Paper of “horrific” waits of one hour and 40 minutes at Malaga Airport in January, with arguments breaking out in the queues.
Lisbon Airport in Portugal – where queues reportedly hit six hours – was forced to suspend EES checks entirely for three months in December.
ACI Europe said waiting times have increased to up to three hours at peak periods, adding that airports in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain had been “especially impacted”.
UK passengers suffered long waits at Málaga Airport due to EES checks (Photos: Rob Debenham, left, and John Calladine)Travel expert Ash Bhardwaj, author of Why We Travel, said going through checks when arriving at Oslo Airport in Norway in February took him one hour and 20 minutes.
Before EES was introduced, the process only took him five minutes.
“It can take ages,” he told The i Paper, warning of longer queues through Easter and into the summer. “Everyone’s going to have build in extra time for their ongoing journeys.”
Christina Brazier, head of industry affairs at AITO, a UK organisation representing specialist travel companies, warned of delays during Easter and beyond.
“With EES becoming fully operational next month, travellers should be aware that longer processing times may occur particularly during this busy travel period, including Easter, the May bank holidays, and the start of summer,” she said.
“AITO members are advising customers to prepare for additional checks, consider arriving at airports or ports earlier than usual, and have travel documents easily accessible.”
Calls for roll-out to be suspended
ACI Europe has called for a delay in the full EES roll-out to fix “unresolved” tech problems and “chronic” border control understaffing.
The organisation said processing times had increased by up to 70 per cent during the phased roll-out so far.
Thomas Reynaert, a senior vice president at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), also called for a suspension – at least until after the summer.
The European Commission has said member states may suspend EES checks for up to six hours when congestion is bad up until September.
However, “severe” disruptions have been seen even with the flexibility measures which have allowed border staff to briefly suspend the new system, said Reynaert.
Full implementation in April threatens “wide‑scale delays” and “operational breakdowns”, he warned.
Aéroports de Paris (ADP), which manages Paris Orly and Charles-de-Gaulle airports, called for a suspension of the roll-out until after August.
“The reason they’ve been gradually rolling out is to try to get through a lot of the teething before the summer,” Bhardwaj said. “The hope is they will get more efficient at it.
“But effectively, as a product of Brexit, travel [to the EU] is always going to take longer now. Travel will be a bit more stressful.”
‘Utter madness’: Dover gridlock warning
Holidaymakers planning to use the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel at Easter and in the summer have also been warned of long queues before leaving the UK.
All drivers and passengers will be asked to get out of their car at an area full of new EES kiosks – said to be the size of five football pitches – to register before going through French passport control.
Dover has seen long queues during several previous waves of post-Brexit checks (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty)Toby Howe, of the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum, told the BBC last month that French counterparts were having “some technological problems” with the new system.
Dover District Council leader Kevin Mills has said the implementation of EES was a “potential car crash” and could lead to “gridlock” for drivers unless all parts of the new system worked smoothly.
Asked whether implementation should be delayed until after Easter, Dover Conservative councillor Trevor Bartlett told The i Paper: “Oh my God – 100 per cent.
“They’ve had all this time to roll this out, and it’s still not ready,” added the councillor for Little Stour and Ashstone. “It’s utter madness. It’s just the wrong time.”
There was “unanimous” agreement at the most recent Dover District Council meeting that the system should be delayed, Bartlett said, adding: “It’s just the wrong time.”
The Government has been approached for comment.
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