EU Border System Slows Travel: Brits Waiting Hours at Airports

Sun Sep 06 2026 08:05:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

EU’s new passport check tripled wait times for British travellers, causing long queues and missed flights.

The European Union’s Entry‑Exit System meant to speed up border checks has, paradoxically, increased the time Brits spend at passport control. Rome’s Fiumicino airport reports average wait times rising from 7 to 20 minutes, while Ryanair warns of queues lasting several hours. Passengers at Rome, Barcelona and Faro face delays that even disrupt holiday plans. Airport officials say bugs in the new AI‑driven system and duplicated processes are to blame, and they call for urgent fixes. The fallout shows the limits of tech‑driven solutions when implementation falters.

EU border tech causes long queues for UK travellers

What we know: The EU’s new digital passport system, intended to speed up the time you spend at airport gates, has actually stretched the wait for British passengers to almost 3 times longer. Rome’s biggest airport reports an average of 20 minutes now, up from 7 minutes before.

Ryanair, a major budget carrier for Brits, has sent out a warning to passengers: “Expect extra time and long waits at passport control” when arriving in the EU this summer. The airline has even urged people to arrive three hours early.

Passengers share scrawny smiles and frayed patience. “I had to wait two hours for my family at Fiumicino after we landed,” says Carl from Yorkshire, while David from the US misses his car because of a 45‑minute queue at Barcelona. These stories highlight the real‑world impact on holiday plans.

Queue for passport control at Rome Airport — People waiting at Fiumicino Airport, Rome, July 2026

Airport chief Ivan Bassato says the system’s duplication and problems with its “kiosk” machines cause delays. He wants the EU to remove redundant steps and encourage more countries to use a pre‑registration app – currently only Sweden and Portugal are doing so. The goal: reduce the wait to the pre‑EES level of 7 minutes.

Flaws in the electronic servers mean that a tech glitch in Warsaw can freeze the entire system, according to Portugal’s border officer Pedro Oliveira. The incident rates are down but still cause a dent in travel comfort.

What to do? If you’re flying to the EU this summer, schedule extra time at the airport. Keep track of updates from airlines and check out the official EU guidelines on the Entry‑Exit System.