The EU's biometric Entry/Exit System has doubled wait times at major European airports since its full launch four months ago, with passengers now facing queues of up to two hours at Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Munich. New data from the Financial Times and travel analytics group Qsensor shows the system is struggling to process the volume of non-EU travellers passing through Europe's busiest hubs.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Frankfort airport recorded average wait times of 120 minutes last month, up from 60 minutes in July 2025. Munich's waits have nearly doubled to 60 minutes from 31 minutes. Amsterdam has seen maximum waiting times rocket from 80 to 120 minutes in the same period. Peak periods mean queues of up to two hours, though wait times are much shorter outside the busiest times.
Since the EES fully launched on 10 April, every traveller from outside the EU has been required to scan their passport and complete a facial scan, as well as registering fingerprints on their first trip. In practice, passengers have had to give fingerprints on multiple trips due to glitches in the system. EES kiosks have been malfunctioning and travellers have needed more assistance than operatives initially thought.
Industry Pushback
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary poured scorn on the system, saying it had been "misdesigned." "Only the Europeans would invent sh*t like this," he said last month, referring to the fact that his airline had witnessed large queues at some 15 airports across the continent.
The chaos has forced some airports to temporarily turn off parts of the EES checks, including not collecting fingerprints during peak times, to ease the strain on passengers and workers. That policy is due to come to an end next month, though eight EU member states and Switzerland have asked the European Commission to extend it.
Brussels Considers Extension
In a statement, the Commission said it's considering the possibility of continuing the practice. "When it comes to the time after the summer, we are in close and constructive contact with those few member states where there are challenges at certain border crossing points," a spokesperson said. They added that EES wasn't disastrous everywhere, and that registration takes an average of 70 seconds and that "in most cases" the impact on non-EU travellers has been limited.
Why This Matters:
The EES rollout exposes a familiar EU pattern: ambitious border technology imposed uniformly across member states without adequate testing at scale. Border control is essential, but it must work. When passengers miss flights and airports have to disable security features during peak times, the system isn't delivering on its promise. The fact that eight member states and Switzerland are asking Brussels for permission to continue emergency workarounds reveals the tension between centralised EU policy and operational reality on the ground. Europe needs effective border security, but member states must retain the flexibility to implement systems that actually function at their airports. If the Commission extends the exemption, it'll be an implicit admission that the one-size-fits-all approach didn't account for the volume and infrastructure differences between Frankfurt and smaller hubs. Effective borders require both technology and pragmatism.