EU's new border system nearly triples passport wait times, airport chief says

The European Union's new digital border system has nearly tripled the time it takes for British travellers to clear passport control, according to a senior executive at Rome's main airport (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg5gg6n9x3o). Ivan Bassato, Chief Aviation Officer at Rome's Fiumicino airport, told the BBC the time taken for UK nationals to pass through the border had risen from seven minutes to 20 minutes since the Entry/Exit System (EES) was introduced.

The EES requires non-EU citizens entering the 29-country Schengen Area to register fingerprints and a photograph on arrival, with the data checked when they leave, the BBC reported (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg5gg6n9x3o). The new process — often handled through standalone automated "kiosks" as well as border officers — has been phased in since October, and some European airports have reported hours-long queues, with passengers saying they missed flights home.

Budget airline Ryanair has warned passengers travelling to Europe this summer to allow extra time and prepare for extended waits, calling the rollout "the failed EES rollout," according to the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg5gg6n9x3o). Border police at Portugal's Faro airport told the BBC the EES technology had suffered from bugs, though they insisted any queues there would be resolved quickly.

Fiumicino found it impractical to process large volumes of passengers through the self-service kiosks despite their €12 million ($13.7 million) cost, the BBC reported (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg5gg6n9x3o). The airport has since allowed UK nationals to register at passport e-gates instead, which Bassato said "improved things significantly," though he added the airport was "absolutely not okay" with waits of one or two hours and called for urgent fixes.

The European Commission said disruption was limited at most EU airports and pledged to keep supporting member states in implementing the system, according to the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg5gg6n9x3o). The rollout affects millions of visitors from outside the Schengen Area, including travellers from the Americas, Africa and Asia, as the bloc expands its digital border controls.