Just 48 hours after the European Union’s biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) became mandatory, Europe’s aviation industry is pleading for an escape clause. In a joint open letter released on 13 April, Airlines for Europe (A4E) and Airports Council International Europe warned that the system must be ‘fully or partially suspended whenever queues exceed acceptable limits’. Biometric Update, which broke the story, quotes A4E managing director Ourania Georgoutsakou: “Border control authorities have to be allowed to turn the EES off, not merely slow it down, when wait-times spiral.” The call follows scenes in Zurich where only four of 16 e-gates were functioning on Saturday and passport stamping had to be re-introduced for a two-hour window to clear the backlog.
![Airlines and Airports Demand Emergency ‘Off-Switch’ for EES After Swiss Hubs Report Chaos]()
Travelers trying to stay ahead of such turbulence can lean on VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/), which speeds up visa and travel-document processing, pushes real-time alerts on Schengen border changes, and offers live support—giving corporate planners one less queue to worry about.
The lobbying comes as Swiss business groups calculate the fallout. Economiesuisse estimates a single hour-long departure delay at Zurich costs CHF 1.3 million in missed slots, crew overtime and passenger compensation. With EasyJet, Emirates and United all reporting knock-on late arrivals, connections at Swiss hubs are coming under severe strain. Under EU rules, member states – and Schengen partners such as Switzerland – may already suspend the system for 90 days in exceptional circumstances, extendable by 60 days. Industry insiders want Bern to clarify how quickly it would invoke that clause if Easter-holiday volumes trigger another meltdown. The message to corporate mobility managers is stark: build fat buffers into April and May itineraries, secure flexible tickets, and warn colleagues that the trip from gate to taxi rank may now take half a morning. Until politicians decide whether the ‘off-switch’ is politically palatable, the Alps’ best-oiled airports will be running on hope and contingency plans.
Travelers trying to stay ahead of such turbulence can lean on VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/), which speeds up visa and travel-document processing, pushes real-time alerts on Schengen border changes, and offers live support—giving corporate planners one less queue to worry about.
The lobbying comes as Swiss business groups calculate the fallout. Economiesuisse estimates a single hour-long departure delay at Zurich costs CHF 1.3 million in missed slots, crew overtime and passenger compensation. With EasyJet, Emirates and United all reporting knock-on late arrivals, connections at Swiss hubs are coming under severe strain. Under EU rules, member states – and Schengen partners such as Switzerland – may already suspend the system for 90 days in exceptional circumstances, extendable by 60 days. Industry insiders want Bern to clarify how quickly it would invoke that clause if Easter-holiday volumes trigger another meltdown. The message to corporate mobility managers is stark: build fat buffers into April and May itineraries, secure flexible tickets, and warn colleagues that the trip from gate to taxi rank may now take half a morning. Until politicians decide whether the ‘off-switch’ is politically palatable, the Alps’ best-oiled airports will be running on hope and contingency plans.
