UAE travellers hit by hours-long queues at European airports as EES chaos rages

Dubai: There appears to be little relief for travellers flying through some European airports as disruption linked to the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) continues to cause long queues, missed connections and mounting frustration among passengers.

The biometric border-control system, which replaces manual passport stamping with fingerprint and facial recognition checks for non-EU nationals, has now become fully operational across much of Europe after a phased rollout that began in October 2025.

UAE travellers have already reported waiting up to five or six hours at major European airports including Amsterdam, Lisbon and Milan, Gulf News reported on Friday.

UAE travel agents had warned that the new checks, combined with labour strikes and baggage delays in some countries, were creating severe operational bottlenecks during the busy summer travel season.

Now, fresh accounts from passengers suggest the disruption remains widespread.

A senior Gulf News Editor, who recently travelled from Warsaw to Dubai on Sunday, said immigration queues at departure took nearly two hours. “(There was) lots of frustration and confusion as to why it is taking so long,” he said.

“It took around one hour and it's due to people needing to give fingerprints and have a photo taken on the way out. I think it's just the system. The machines are fast but the process is a lot slower.”

Describing the situation at the airport, he said: “It’s madness. The airports must be losing a fortune as well as no-one has time to eat, drink or shop.”

He also pointed to the contrast with Dubai’s airport experience, saying the delays “highlight how good DXB is”.

According to Sapna Aidasani, marketing head and co-founder at Pluto Travels, some of her clients missed their onward flights to other destinations.

Major European airports, including Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Heathrow (LHR), Frankfurt (FRA) and Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS), serve as key transit hubs for travellers from the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia heading to Western destinations including the US, Canada, and South America.

"Many of our clients, who are shipping crew flying to the US with two layover points in Europe, missed their next flights due to this issue," she said. "If you’re traveling to Europe soon, keep buffer time of at least 3-4 hours, avoid very short layovers, and reach the airport earlier than usual," explained Sapna.

Under the EES system, all non-EU travellers entering or leaving the Schengen area must undergo biometric registration, including fingerprint scans and facial imaging. The system is designed to strengthen border security and digitally track entries and exits across the bloc.

However, the rollout has triggered long queues at several major airports and transport hubs, especially during peak travel periods.

British passengers travelling through Europe are now being advised to arrive at airports at least three hours before departure because of the additional checks.

Wizz Air executive Yvonne Moynihan told the BBC that passengers across parts of Europe had experienced “longer waiting times than anticipated” because of the extra passport control stage introduced under EES.

While some airports have managed the rollout smoothly, she said long queues were continuing at “usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France”.

She advised passengers to carry water and portable chargers because of extended waits at some airports and border checkpoints.

Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, warned earlier this week that the “situation is deteriorating”.

According to a survey conducted across 45 airports in 20 EU states, queues at some locations were stretching up to 3.5 hours during peak periods.

Even airports that had previously avoided major disruption were now reporting excessive waiting times despite temporary flexibilities introduced under the EES system.

The European Commission has insisted that EES is not the sole reason for delays and said the biometric registration itself usually takes around one minute per passenger.

The Commission also said the rollout remains in a transition phase until April 9, 2026, meaning biometric collection may not yet happen at every border crossing point on every trip.

Until then, passports may continue to be stamped alongside the new digital checks.

For UAE travellers heading to Europe this summer, travel experts continue to advise arriving significantly earlier than usual, avoiding tight connections and preparing for extended waits at immigration.