The three airports most at risk of gridlock when EU entry-exit system begins

WorldTravel
30 Aug 2025 • 2:53 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Aviation economist Oliver Ranson warns that the EU's new entry-exit system (EES), starting 12 October, could cause significant disruption at European airports.
  • The EES requires non-Schengen travellers, including Britons, to provide biometrics, potentially quadrupling processing times at border checkpoints.
  • Athens, Bucharest, and Milan Malpensa were identified as the three European airports most at risk of passenger gridlock due to their evenly spread non-Schengen arrival patterns.
  • Mr Ranson suggests that if queues do not dissipate, flights could be diverted or cancelled, impacting both arriving and departing passengers.
  • Airports with clustered or wave-like non-Schengen arrivals, such as Palermo, are considered less vulnerable.

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