Airlines are sounding the alarm over mounting queues at EU border posts now that the bloc’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is fully live. Speaking to the BBC on 30 May 2026, Wizz Air’s chief corporate officer Yvonne Moynihan advised passengers to arrive “three hours before departure” because the extra biometric check can cause bottlenecks, especially at airports in Spain, Portugal – and France. The warning follows last week’s decision by French Police aux Frontières to suspend biometric processing at Dover after five-hour tailbacks. Under EES, non-EU travellers must provide fingerprints and facial images the first time they enter the Schengen Area, replacing passport stamps. While many French hubs such as Paris-CDG boast hundreds of self-service kiosks, system glitches and staffing gaps have forced officials to invoke Article 9 “partial suspension” clauses that let them skip biometrics during peak surges. The airports association ACI Europe says average wait times at major Schengen gateways have jumped to 3½ hours at rush hour.
![Airlines Urge Travellers to Arrive Three Hours Early as France Cited Among EES ‘Hotspots’]()
For anyone anxious about navigating the new rules, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork: its France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) pulls together Schengen visa requirements, biometric tips and fast online applications, giving travellers one less queue to worry about before they even reach the airport.
If the pattern persists into July and August, France – host to both the Paris Air Show and the Avignon Festival – could see significant knock-on effects on conference schedules and connecting flights. Business-travel managers should now: 1) build longer layovers into itineraries, 2) remind staff that power banks and water are advisable in queues, and 3) collect evidence of any EES-related delay, which some insurers may cover. French authorities insist the hiccups are “temporary” and pledge full biometric capture by September, but airlines remain sceptical. Meanwhile, rail and ferry operators on UK-France routes fear modal shift if border friction persists. Eurostar has already capped summer ticket sales to avoid platform congestion triggered by slower French juxtaposed controls at London St Pancras.
For anyone anxious about navigating the new rules, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork: its France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) pulls together Schengen visa requirements, biometric tips and fast online applications, giving travellers one less queue to worry about before they even reach the airport.
If the pattern persists into July and August, France – host to both the Paris Air Show and the Avignon Festival – could see significant knock-on effects on conference schedules and connecting flights. Business-travel managers should now: 1) build longer layovers into itineraries, 2) remind staff that power banks and water are advisable in queues, and 3) collect evidence of any EES-related delay, which some insurers may cover. French authorities insist the hiccups are “temporary” and pledge full biometric capture by September, but airlines remain sceptical. Meanwhile, rail and ferry operators on UK-France routes fear modal shift if border friction persists. Eurostar has already capped summer ticket sales to avoid platform congestion triggered by slower French juxtaposed controls at London St Pancras.
