Airports Council International (ACI Europe), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have written to EU Home-Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner warning that mandatory biometric registration under the Entry/Exit System could generate airport queues of four hours or more this summer. The coalition asks the Commission to give member states—France included—the explicit power to suspend EES partially or entirely until the end of October 2026 if serious disruption materialises. (biometricupdate.com)
Since the phased rollout began in October 2025, border-control understaffing, technical glitches in self-service kiosks and the slow uptake of the Frontex pre-registration app have caused waits of up to two hours even though only 35 % of travellers are currently being captured. The industry bodies say the situation will worsen when 100 % capture becomes compulsory in April.
For travellers and corporate mobility teams searching for practical assistance amid these evolving requirements, VisaHQ offers real-time guidance on visa and border formalities, including updates on EES procedures, and can help arrange any necessary documentation for France and other Schengen destinations. See https://www.visahq.com/france/ for details.
![Aviation & airline groups urge Brussels to allow emergency suspension of biometric EES checks]()
French airports back the call, arguing that a legal mechanism to trigger temporary suspensions would give operational certainty and avoid last-minute “politically awkward” unilateral actions that could breach EU law. They point to Lisbon’s seven-hour queues earlier this month, after which Portugal invoked an ad-hoc pause without clear legal cover.
If Brussels accepts the proposal, corporate mobility teams would gain a clearer framework for contingency planning. They could advise travellers to carry old-style manual passport stamps as a fallback and negotiate flexible check-in cut-offs with airline partners.
The Commission is expected to respond before its next Transport Council meeting on 7 March. Observers say a refusal will intensify lobbying from member states facing record tourist flows, including France, Spain and Italy.
Since the phased rollout began in October 2025, border-control understaffing, technical glitches in self-service kiosks and the slow uptake of the Frontex pre-registration app have caused waits of up to two hours even though only 35 % of travellers are currently being captured. The industry bodies say the situation will worsen when 100 % capture becomes compulsory in April.
For travellers and corporate mobility teams searching for practical assistance amid these evolving requirements, VisaHQ offers real-time guidance on visa and border formalities, including updates on EES procedures, and can help arrange any necessary documentation for France and other Schengen destinations. See https://www.visahq.com/france/ for details.
French airports back the call, arguing that a legal mechanism to trigger temporary suspensions would give operational certainty and avoid last-minute “politically awkward” unilateral actions that could breach EU law. They point to Lisbon’s seven-hour queues earlier this month, after which Portugal invoked an ad-hoc pause without clear legal cover.
If Brussels accepts the proposal, corporate mobility teams would gain a clearer framework for contingency planning. They could advise travellers to carry old-style manual passport stamps as a fallback and negotiate flexible check-in cut-offs with airline partners.
The Commission is expected to respond before its next Transport Council meeting on 7 March. Observers say a refusal will intensify lobbying from member states facing record tourist flows, including France, Spain and Italy.
