Airlines for Europe (A4E), Airports Council International Europe (ACI) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) sounded the alarm in a joint letter released on 11 February. The groups say the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES)—which replaces passport stamping with compulsory fingerprint and facial capture for all non-EU nationals—has already generated two-hour waits at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly, Nice and the Eurostar terminal. From 10 April the phased “light-touch” period ends and 100 per cent of travellers will have to be enrolled. Without urgent flexibility, they warn, queues could stretch to “four hours or more” at the height of the summer rush. (m.economictimes.com)
Airports blame a perfect storm of chronic understaffing, teething problems with new kiosks and a lack of space to manage first-time registrations. France’s interior ministry insists that 2 000 additional border-police posts have been created since 2024, but unions say only half are filled and many agents are still being trained on the new equipment. Business-travel groups fear missed connections at the Paris hubs will cascade through the Schengen air-traffic network, jeopardising tight itineraries and same-day meetings.
![Airlines warn France faces four-hour queues as EU biometric Entry/Exit System hits crunch point]()
Travellers who prefer expert help navigating shifting French entry requirements can turn to VisaHQ, whose dedicated France page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) tracks the latest visa rules, biometric-enrolment procedures and EES updates in real time. The service offers personalised documentation checks and alerts, giving corporations and individual flyers an extra layer of assurance as border formalities evolve.
Industry bodies want the European Commission to grant member states leeway to “partially or fully suspend” the system between June and October, mirroring the waivers some French airports used during the 2024 Olympics. They also call for a common communications plan so travellers pre-register via the EU’s forthcoming mobile app to speed first use of the gates. The Commission has not yet responded, but officials privately say any blanket derogation would require unanimous backing from the 27 Schengen states.
For mobility managers the advice is clear: build extra time into itineraries involving France this summer, brief travellers on biometric capture, and consider routing via hubs with lower enrolment volumes such as Lyon or Bordeaux until the system stabilises. Companies with high-frequency travellers should keep a close watch on the planned “pre-enrolment” pilot at Paris CDG, which could cut processing to under two minutes once live.
Airports blame a perfect storm of chronic understaffing, teething problems with new kiosks and a lack of space to manage first-time registrations. France’s interior ministry insists that 2 000 additional border-police posts have been created since 2024, but unions say only half are filled and many agents are still being trained on the new equipment. Business-travel groups fear missed connections at the Paris hubs will cascade through the Schengen air-traffic network, jeopardising tight itineraries and same-day meetings.
Travellers who prefer expert help navigating shifting French entry requirements can turn to VisaHQ, whose dedicated France page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) tracks the latest visa rules, biometric-enrolment procedures and EES updates in real time. The service offers personalised documentation checks and alerts, giving corporations and individual flyers an extra layer of assurance as border formalities evolve.
Industry bodies want the European Commission to grant member states leeway to “partially or fully suspend” the system between June and October, mirroring the waivers some French airports used during the 2024 Olympics. They also call for a common communications plan so travellers pre-register via the EU’s forthcoming mobile app to speed first use of the gates. The Commission has not yet responded, but officials privately say any blanket derogation would require unanimous backing from the 27 Schengen states.
For mobility managers the advice is clear: build extra time into itineraries involving France this summer, brief travellers on biometric capture, and consider routing via hubs with lower enrolment volumes such as Lyon or Bordeaux until the system stabilises. Companies with high-frequency travellers should keep a close watch on the planned “pre-enrolment” pilot at Paris CDG, which could cut processing to under two minutes once live.
