EU border checks update for UK travellers this summer
- The Schengen zone's new digital Entry/Exit System requires UK travellers to submit fingerprints and facial images, creating severe congestion as 40 million additional passengers are expected through European airports this month and next.
- Brussels withdrew the safeguard allowing officials to disable checks during peak times at the end of March, leaving airports unable to ease congestion. Ryanair chief operating officer Neal McMahon accused the system of being a "half-baked passport control system," demanding a delay until September.
- Trade bodies including ACI Europe and the International Air Transport Association sent a strongly-worded letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stating "Today we have reached a critical point" and urging suspension of fingerprint checks during peak summer months.
- One family from the North West spent around £1,000 to book replacement seats home to Gatwick after missing their flight from Milan due to border delays. Airlines are not required to rebook passengers, and insurers indicate standard policies are unlikely to cover such costs.
- Passengers traveling through hubs like Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Frankfurt should arrive three hours early, though data registration is retained for only three years, meaning subsequent crossings require only swift facial checks. The EU's "Travel to Europe" app enables advance submission of passport details.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Coventry Telegraph
Liverpool EchoEU border checks update for UK travellers this summer
Families could be left thousands of pounds out of pocket after missing flights.
On Tuesday, Commissioner Brunner will meet representatives of the aviation industry to discuss problems with automated border controls for travellers from third countries. Brussels offers its border guards assistance, but the Member States are responsible for solving fundamental problems.
The EES border check debacle is the EU at its worst
A person as their passport scanned whilst using an Automated European Union Entry/Exit System (EES) kiosk during a press preview on the rollout of the EU's new Entry-Exit System (EES) at Eurotunnel, south east England on September 23, 2025. The European Union's new border-check system for non-EU nationals, the so-called Entry/Exit System (EES), which will do away with passport stamps, is set to finally launch October 12. (Photo by Justin TALLIS …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
