A coalition of Europe’s leading aviation bodies – **IATA, ACI Europe and Airlines for Europe (A4E)** – issued an unusually blunt warning on 27 February 2026: without emergency flexibility, the new **EU Entry/Exit System (EES)** could trigger four-hour queues at Schengen borders this summer.
The EES, live since October 2025 and due to become mandatory for all third-country nationals in April 2026, captures fingerprints and facial images in place of passport stamps. While Switzerland has already piloted the kiosks at Geneva and Basel, the industry groups say technical glitches, staffing shortages and limited pre-registration threaten to overwhelm airports once holiday volumes return.
Their joint statement calls on the European Commission to confirm that member states may “partially or totally suspend” EES processing until **31 October 2026** if wait times become unmanageable. They also urge national governments to boost border-police headcounts, roll out mobile enrolment apps faster and allow airlines to integrate EES status checks into advance passenger information feeds.
![Airports & airlines urge EU to pause biometric Entry/Exit System before the summer rush]()
For individual travellers and corporate mobility teams looking to cut through the bureaucracy, VisaHQ’s Swiss portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) can be a practical ally. The service monitors Schengen entry rules in real time, assists with document preparation and helps HR departments pre-assess itineraries against the 90/180-day limit—streamlining compliance work as EES rolls out.
For Swiss corporates the stakes are high: Zurich (ZRH) handles around 45 % transfer traffic, and missed connections translate into hotel costs, rebooking fees and traveller-dissatisfaction metrics that hit duty-of-care scores. Global mobility managers should brief frequent flyers on the likelihood of longer arrivals lines, encourage off-peak scheduling where possible and consider fast-track or VIP services for senior executives.
Even if a pause is granted, biometric enrolment remains inevitable. HR teams should start collecting employees’ passport data and travel histories so that support vendors can pre-check compliance with the 90/180-day rule once the system restarts at full capacity.
The EES, live since October 2025 and due to become mandatory for all third-country nationals in April 2026, captures fingerprints and facial images in place of passport stamps. While Switzerland has already piloted the kiosks at Geneva and Basel, the industry groups say technical glitches, staffing shortages and limited pre-registration threaten to overwhelm airports once holiday volumes return.
Their joint statement calls on the European Commission to confirm that member states may “partially or totally suspend” EES processing until **31 October 2026** if wait times become unmanageable. They also urge national governments to boost border-police headcounts, roll out mobile enrolment apps faster and allow airlines to integrate EES status checks into advance passenger information feeds.
For individual travellers and corporate mobility teams looking to cut through the bureaucracy, VisaHQ’s Swiss portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) can be a practical ally. The service monitors Schengen entry rules in real time, assists with document preparation and helps HR departments pre-assess itineraries against the 90/180-day limit—streamlining compliance work as EES rolls out.
For Swiss corporates the stakes are high: Zurich (ZRH) handles around 45 % transfer traffic, and missed connections translate into hotel costs, rebooking fees and traveller-dissatisfaction metrics that hit duty-of-care scores. Global mobility managers should brief frequent flyers on the likelihood of longer arrivals lines, encourage off-peak scheduling where possible and consider fast-track or VIP services for senior executives.
Even if a pause is granted, biometric enrolment remains inevitable. HR teams should start collecting employees’ passport data and travel histories so that support vendors can pre-check compliance with the 90/180-day rule once the system restarts at full capacity.
