The Airports Council International (ACI) issued an unprecedented warning on 19 December, saying that the current implementation schedule for the EU’s Entry/Exit System could create ‘serious safety hazards’ over the holiday period. The trade body cited reports of three-hour queues for manual passport control at Prague, Lisbon and Lanzarote and said some airports may be forced to shut the system off during the Christmas peak if glitches continue.
Under EES, all non-EU travellers— including British and American business visitors—must submit four fingerprints and a live facial image the first time they cross an external Schengen border after 12 October 2025. ACI claims insufficient kiosks, patchy Wi-Fi and staffing shortages are stretching transaction times by 70 %. Prague Airport confirmed that only 10 % of third-country passengers are currently being processed through the kiosks, well below the 35 % target set for 9 January 2026.
![Airports warn of ‘serious safety hazards’ as EES delays hit Prague and other EU hubs]()
For travellers looking to minimise disruption, VisaHQ can streamline compliance with Czech entry rules by offering real-time updates on EES requirements, biometric registration guidance and visa support through its Czech Republic portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/). Companies and individuals alike can use the service to pre-validate documentation and receive alerts about queue times, helping them plan smoother journeys during the roll-out period.
If performance does not improve, airlines fear widespread missed connections, duty-of-care liabilities and Schedule F irregular-operations costs. Some carriers are already refusing to sell itineraries with tight connections via Prague and Vienna. Travel managers should audit winter-routeing options and brief assignees about potential disruption when returning from year-end breaks.
The Czech Ministry of the Interior says it supports ACI’s call for a phased ramp-up but insists the country remains on track to meet the April deadline. In the interim, companies may wish to advise travellers to use EU/EEA family lanes where eligible or to route via intra-Schengen hubs such as Frankfurt or Amsterdam, which are not yet subject to EES on intra-EU flights.
Under EES, all non-EU travellers— including British and American business visitors—must submit four fingerprints and a live facial image the first time they cross an external Schengen border after 12 October 2025. ACI claims insufficient kiosks, patchy Wi-Fi and staffing shortages are stretching transaction times by 70 %. Prague Airport confirmed that only 10 % of third-country passengers are currently being processed through the kiosks, well below the 35 % target set for 9 January 2026.
For travellers looking to minimise disruption, VisaHQ can streamline compliance with Czech entry rules by offering real-time updates on EES requirements, biometric registration guidance and visa support through its Czech Republic portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/). Companies and individuals alike can use the service to pre-validate documentation and receive alerts about queue times, helping them plan smoother journeys during the roll-out period.
If performance does not improve, airlines fear widespread missed connections, duty-of-care liabilities and Schedule F irregular-operations costs. Some carriers are already refusing to sell itineraries with tight connections via Prague and Vienna. Travel managers should audit winter-routeing options and brief assignees about potential disruption when returning from year-end breaks.
The Czech Ministry of the Interior says it supports ACI’s call for a phased ramp-up but insists the country remains on track to meet the April deadline. In the interim, companies may wish to advise travellers to use EU/EEA family lanes where eligible or to route via intra-Schengen hubs such as Frankfurt or Amsterdam, which are not yet subject to EES on intra-EU flights.
