Roughly 100 passengers missed an EasyJet Milan-Linate to Manchester flight on 12 April after spending up to three hours stuck at passport control, the first major Italian incident linked to the EU’s new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES). The EES, fully operational since 10 April, requires non-EU nationals—including post-Brexit UK travellers—to register fingerprints and a facial image on their first Schengen entry, replacing passport stamps. At Linate, staffing shortages and teething-trouble with enrolment kiosks created queues that snaked through the terminal; airport police declined to invoke the 90-day “grace period” that allows manual processing. EasyJet delayed departure by 55 minutes but eventually left with only 34 of 156 ticketed passengers as crew hit legal duty limits.
![Milan Airport Meltdown Exposes EU Entry/Exit System Bottlenecks]()
To stay ahead of such disruptions, travelers and global mobility managers can tap into VisaHQ's expertise. Via its dedicated Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), the firm offers real-time EES updates, personalized document checklists, and concierge booking of biometric appointments, smoothing the path for both leisure and corporate passengers.
Stranded travellers incurred re-routing costs upwards of €1,600. Airports Council International had warned on 10 April that EES implementation could push border-waits to three hours at peak times. For Italy’s business community, the incident is a wake-up call: advise non-EU assignees to arrive four hours ahead, carry proof of Italian residence to bypass EES where eligible, and monitor whether Italy opts to defer full enforcement for 90 days, as permitted under EU rules. In the medium term, companies should include EES buffer times in duty-of-care policies and lobby through trade associations for adequate staffing. Digital-identity wallets under development by the Interior Ministry may eventually automate enrolment, but are at least a year away.
To stay ahead of such disruptions, travelers and global mobility managers can tap into VisaHQ's expertise. Via its dedicated Italy page (https://www.visahq.com/italy/), the firm offers real-time EES updates, personalized document checklists, and concierge booking of biometric appointments, smoothing the path for both leisure and corporate passengers.
Stranded travellers incurred re-routing costs upwards of €1,600. Airports Council International had warned on 10 April that EES implementation could push border-waits to three hours at peak times. For Italy’s business community, the incident is a wake-up call: advise non-EU assignees to arrive four hours ahead, carry proof of Italian residence to bypass EES where eligible, and monitor whether Italy opts to defer full enforcement for 90 days, as permitted under EU rules. In the medium term, companies should include EES buffer times in duty-of-care policies and lobby through trade associations for adequate staffing. Digital-identity wallets under development by the Interior Ministry may eventually automate enrolment, but are at least a year away.
