Holiday departures from Václav Havel Airport Prague descended into chaos on the morning of 28 December after the European Union’s brand-new Entry/Exit System (EES) suffered its first major outage. A routine overnight software patch failed to load, freezing all 36 biometric kiosks that process third-country nationals. With no certified backup e-gates, Czech Foreign Police were forced to revert to manual passport stamping, instantly quadrupling processing times.
Long-haul flights bore the brunt: Etihad’s EY-62 to Abu Dhabi and Korean Air’s KE-936 to Seoul both missed departure slots, triggering a domino effect of missed connections throughout the Schengen network. Airports Council International estimates carriers lost more than €180,000 in delay and re-accommodation costs during the three-hour bottleneck, while ground handlers struggled with stand availability at the peak of the Christmas travel window.
Travellers who need step-by-step guidance on Czech entry rules can turn to VisaHQ, whose online portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) tracks the latest EES advisories, visa categories and processing times. The service allows passengers to pre-screen their documents, arrange courier pickups and receive live alerts, helping them sidestep last-minute border headaches.
![Entry/Exit System Meltdown Forces Manual Stamping, Causes Three-Hour Queues at Prague Airport]()
The incident highlights the growing pains of the EES, which became mandatory for non-EU travellers in October 2025. Although residents with Czech long-stay visas are exempt from registration, visiting business travellers, posted workers and family members now face additional biometric capture at exit as well as entry. Travel-risk consultants are advising corporates to add at least one extra hour to all outbound itineraries from Prague until the system stabilises.
Airport management has ordered an immediate forensic review by EU agency eu-LISA and is fast-tracking the recruitment of 60 temporary “border assistants” plus the installation of 20 additional kiosks ahead of the late-January business-travel surge. If the fixes fail, mobility managers may need to reroute executives via neighbouring hubs in Munich or Vienna until confidence in Prague’s digital border is restored.
For now, experts recommend that travellers double-check visa validity, carry printed proof of onward tickets and hotel bookings, and arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure. Visa facilitation platforms that monitor real-time border changes can help flag evolving requirements and minimise the risk of last-minute surprises.
Long-haul flights bore the brunt: Etihad’s EY-62 to Abu Dhabi and Korean Air’s KE-936 to Seoul both missed departure slots, triggering a domino effect of missed connections throughout the Schengen network. Airports Council International estimates carriers lost more than €180,000 in delay and re-accommodation costs during the three-hour bottleneck, while ground handlers struggled with stand availability at the peak of the Christmas travel window.
Travellers who need step-by-step guidance on Czech entry rules can turn to VisaHQ, whose online portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) tracks the latest EES advisories, visa categories and processing times. The service allows passengers to pre-screen their documents, arrange courier pickups and receive live alerts, helping them sidestep last-minute border headaches.
The incident highlights the growing pains of the EES, which became mandatory for non-EU travellers in October 2025. Although residents with Czech long-stay visas are exempt from registration, visiting business travellers, posted workers and family members now face additional biometric capture at exit as well as entry. Travel-risk consultants are advising corporates to add at least one extra hour to all outbound itineraries from Prague until the system stabilises.
Airport management has ordered an immediate forensic review by EU agency eu-LISA and is fast-tracking the recruitment of 60 temporary “border assistants” plus the installation of 20 additional kiosks ahead of the late-January business-travel surge. If the fixes fail, mobility managers may need to reroute executives via neighbouring hubs in Munich or Vienna until confidence in Prague’s digital border is restored.
For now, experts recommend that travellers double-check visa validity, carry printed proof of onward tickets and hotel bookings, and arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure. Visa facilitation platforms that monitor real-time border changes can help flag evolving requirements and minimise the risk of last-minute surprises.
