The EU’s new biometric border control system is forcing airports to “risk disaster” this summer, according to airport bosses in Europe.
Director General of ACI Europe, Olivier Jankovec, has called for countries to have the power to suspend the EU’s entry-exit system (EES) during upcoming traffic peaks in July and August.
Jankovec said EES is “a systemic problem that risks putting at stake the reputation of the European Union as an efficient and welcoming tourist destination” in an interview with Askanews.
Under EES, individuals from non-EU countries, such as the UK, must have their fingerprints registered and a photograph taken upon entry to the Schengen Area.
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The head of ACI Europe added: “There are a series of structural problems that cannot be solved in one day, nor in a few weeks, to allow us to face July and August calmly: there is a lack of adequately trained staff, and the technological system that enables EES to function is not a stable infrastructure.”
Since the introduction of the EES, air passengers have frequently faced “unacceptable” three- to four-hour queues at some airports.
Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, said that Fiumicino and Ciampino airports will have to allow passengers to skip EES checks to avoid travel chaos, in an interview with the Financial Times last week.
According to Jankovec, all major airports in Europe expecting high tourist flows “risk disaster” due to the biometric system introduced by Brussels “running slowly”.
He added that flexibility is not enough during unmanageable peaks in traffic. Instead, airports need the “possibility to fully suspend passenger registration when critical situations arise locally”, he said.
ACI Europe said that the association had raised concerns over critical issues linked to EES in April, followed by a letter to the EU on 29 May.
With traffic increases of around 12 per cent in July and August compared to May and June, ACI said: “We raised the alarm in April because we knew we would not be able to cope”.
Read more: ‘Stop pretending’ EU entry-exit system is working, top European aviation head demands
