Airports Council International (ACI) EUROPE turned up the heat on the European Commission on 19 December, publishing an open letter from its Brussels headquarters warning of ‘systemic disruption’ linked to the new digital Entry/Exit System (EES). Since the system went live on 12 October, border-processing times at some Schengen airports have reportedly ballooned by up to 70 percent. ACI says peak-hour waits of three hours were recorded last weekend at several hubs, and it fears Christmas traffic will bring the first real stress-test.
Although Brussels Airport has so far avoided the worst queues thanks to abundant e-gates, Belgian ground-handling firms say they are already rostering extra staff to shepherd confused travellers. The Belgian Federal Police confirmed intermittent outages of biometric kiosks and acknowledged that the promised pre-registration smartphone app is still unavailable. From 9 January the EU will raise the mandatory EES-registration threshold from 10 to 35 percent of third-country arrivals, a move ACI calls ‘untenable’ without urgent fixes.
![Airports Urge Brussels to Pause Roll-Out of Schengen Entry/Exit System After Queues Hit Three Hours]()
To help travellers and corporate mobility teams stay ahead of these shifting requirements, VisaHQ offers real-time alerts, step-by-step guidance and concierge services for Belgium and the wider Schengen zone. Its dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) consolidates the latest EES updates, visa options and documentation checklists—support that can shave precious minutes off airport processing and reduce the risk of missed connections during this transition period.
For corporate mobility managers, the key takeaway is to build extra time into itineraries for non-EU nationals entering Belgium. Consulting firms have begun advising clients to allow an additional 60 minutes at passport control in Brussels, Charleroi and Antwerp airports, and to schedule meetings accordingly. Carriers warn that missed connections caused by EES delays could trigger knock-on compensation claims under EU261, so companies may wish to ticket key executives on earlier flights over the holiday period.
The European Commission says it is “analysing operational data” and will meet member-state experts—including Belgium’s Interior Ministry—on 8 January. A temporary cap on the registration threshold is on the table. In the meantime, ACI EUROPE has asked the Commission to authorise flexible staffing rules so airports can redeploy security screeners to border booths at short notice.
Although Brussels Airport has so far avoided the worst queues thanks to abundant e-gates, Belgian ground-handling firms say they are already rostering extra staff to shepherd confused travellers. The Belgian Federal Police confirmed intermittent outages of biometric kiosks and acknowledged that the promised pre-registration smartphone app is still unavailable. From 9 January the EU will raise the mandatory EES-registration threshold from 10 to 35 percent of third-country arrivals, a move ACI calls ‘untenable’ without urgent fixes.
To help travellers and corporate mobility teams stay ahead of these shifting requirements, VisaHQ offers real-time alerts, step-by-step guidance and concierge services for Belgium and the wider Schengen zone. Its dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) consolidates the latest EES updates, visa options and documentation checklists—support that can shave precious minutes off airport processing and reduce the risk of missed connections during this transition period.
For corporate mobility managers, the key takeaway is to build extra time into itineraries for non-EU nationals entering Belgium. Consulting firms have begun advising clients to allow an additional 60 minutes at passport control in Brussels, Charleroi and Antwerp airports, and to schedule meetings accordingly. Carriers warn that missed connections caused by EES delays could trigger knock-on compensation claims under EU261, so companies may wish to ticket key executives on earlier flights over the holiday period.
The European Commission says it is “analysing operational data” and will meet member-state experts—including Belgium’s Interior Ministry—on 8 January. A temporary cap on the registration threshold is on the table. In the meantime, ACI EUROPE has asked the Commission to authorise flexible staffing rules so airports can redeploy security screeners to border booths at short notice.
