The president of the Aviba travel agencies association in the Balearics, Pedro Fiol, has expressed his concern about the implementation of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) for non-EU travellers. Of the three Balearic airports, he is especially worried about Palma, not just because of an anticipated increase in UK tourism this year but also because of new direct flights from Canada and Abu Dhabi.
The system was introduced in the form of a phased rollout on October 12 last year. The deadline for it to come into force in EU member states is April 10, albeit there is some flexibility to allow a hybrid approach, which would include continuing with manual stamping of passports, for a further 90 days.
Fiol's main worry is that flights from Canada, Abu Dhabi, New York, and the UK will arrive within very short periods of time, resulting in large numbers of travellers at passport control. Another concern is that machines may malfunction.
He gives the example of chaos at Lisbon Airport, where the system had to be suspended for three months because passengers were having to wait up to seven hours. A report by the Airports Council International Europe, which represents some 500 airports in 46 European countries, concluded that the progressive rollout of the system has increased processing times at controls by up to 70%, with waits of up to three hours during peak periods. Aware of this, the EU will give member states the option to partially suspend implementation for up to 90 days - the hybrid approach - and possibly have an additional 60 days because of the high season.
Implementation at Balearic airports has begun, but as this has been during the low season, Fiol says its impact during peak travel times cannot yet be assessed.
The airports authority Aena, Fiol notes, is unable to give an exact number of machines that will be in operation. The plan for the progressive deployment of EES at Spanish airports is designed by the ministry of the interior; border control is the responsibility of the National Police. Fiol is calling for an increase in National Police officers at Palma Airport (and in Ibiza and Menorca) so they can carry out manual controls if the machines fail. The Spanish Government Delegation in the Balearics explains that the number of officers is decided by the interior ministry and announced just before the start of the peak season.
The Aviba president also worries about the knock-on effect of delays. One would be to baggage reclaim and would affect all passengers. If carousels are occupied with luggage from flights for which there are control delays, these will be unavailable for other flights. Pre-arranged transport will also be affected.