The new European Union digital EES entry/exit system is proving to be a headache for British travellers and airlines like Ryanair and the travel association ABTA have written to the European Union calling for better controls and more staff after thousands of British travellers have been stuck in queues of up to three hours following the roll out of the system in October and the total enforcement of the scheme on April 10.
Spanish hoteliers have also complained about the shambolic situation claiming it could damage Spain’s image. As a result of chaos at French airport, Britons and other third-party nationals entering the Schengen Zone this summer may still go through manual passport stamping. This is because the European Commission has allowed member states “certain flexibilities” that will help ease potential congestion during peak traffic periods, a spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
The European Commission confirmed that Member States can “partially suspend the new Entry/Exit System (EES)” for up to 90 days after the 10 April deadline, with a possible 60-day extension to cover the July-September peak. The EES replaces passport stamping for all third-country nationals entering or leaving the Schengen area. Travellers must enrol fingerprints and a facial image at a kiosk the first time they cross an external border, and the data are checked automatically on subsequent trips.
As of 10 April 2026, member states are required to have EES technology implemented at all border crossings and to register all third-party nationals entering the country. However, after this date, member states will still be able to partially suspend EES operations where necessary during an additional 90-day period with a possible 60-day extension to cover the summer peak.
“Rolling out such a large-scale system is a complex task,” European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert said at a press briefing on 30 January. “By extending the flexibility for the summer period, we give Member States the tools necessary to manage potential problems and, most importantly, avoid summer travel chaos.”
And, the deputy spokesperson for Vox in the Council of Mallorca, David Gil, announced on Saturday that the party will present a motion at the next plenary session to demand that the government reinforce the police force responsible for passport controls at Palma airport. According to a statement issued by the party, the spokesman said that ‘the current saturation is a sieve that makes it difficult to detect the entry’ of illegal immigrants.
Gil assured that there is a situation of ‘chaos and saturation’ that travellers are suffering, ‘especially those from outside the Schengen area, due to the lack of foresight on the part of the General State Administration’. For the Vox spokesperson, the collapse of border controls is not a one-off event, ‘but a sign of the inaction and lack of responsibility of the Sánchez government’. ‘Mallorca lives off tourism. We cannot allow the first impression of those who visit us to be endless queues and inefficient service,’ he said.