A leading airport boss has warned that airline passengers could face huge queues at European airports this summer due to the EU’s Entry-Exit System (EES), unless “urgent preventive co-ordinated action” is taken.
With the peak travel season fast-approaching, ACI Europe president Stefan Schulte said that the impact of EES was “what keeps me and many other airport CEOs across Europe awake at night”.
The biometric system, which must be used by passport holders of third countries (including the UK and US) when entering one of the 29 Schengen Area members, was made fully operational for the first time in April after a six-month transition period.
But the operation of EES has been inconsistent across Schengen countries, with reports that some passengers have missed flights due to delays caused by the biometric processes.
Schulte, who is also CEO of Frankfurt Airport’s operating company Fraport, said: “Passengers are queueing for hours at peak traffic times and I just do not know how we will be able to cope in the coming weeks with the expected increase in traffic.
“EU home affairs commissioner [Magnus] Brunner and home affairs ministers must stop pretending the situation is manageable and that the EES is working just fine. It is not.”
Schulte, who was speaking at ACI Europe’s annual congress and general assembly in Prague this week, added that the EU should give border control authorities “full flexibility” to suspend EES when necessary to “avoid further chaos”. He also called for a “rethink of those processes”.
“This is about showing respect and decency for those who chose to travel to the EU and safeguarding our reputation as a welcoming and efficient destination,” said Schulte.
The EU has insisted that it is giving the 29 participating countries “certain flexibilities” and “fall-back solutions” to avoid excessive queues this summer.
Earlier this year, Greece temporarily suspended the requirement for UK passport holders to go through EES biometric registration.
Net zero plea to EU
Schulte also appealed for “more effective” support from the EU to help achieve the sector’s ambition to achieve net zero on emissions by 2050.
“Let’s be honest: with the policies and regulations currently in place, Europe is losing on both fronts,” he argued. “We are not reducing aviation’s emissions at the pace required, and we are steadily eroding our position in an increasingly competitive global market.
“Time is running out, and the upcoming Aviation Strategy must make sure we turn the tide by complementing regulatory obligations with the incentives urgently needed to accelerate decarbonisation.”
Schulte called for revenues from the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) to be earmarked for aviation decarbonisation, as well as more allowances for alternative aviation fuels after 2030, alongside an “effective” book-and-claim system for these fuels. He added that airports should also be fully integrated into EU and national energy planning and grid upgrades.