Why British travellers have been warned of six-hour airport queues

• British travellers have been warned of potential queues up to six hours long at European airports this summer.
• The delays are attributed to the Entry-Exit System (EES), fully rolled out in April, which requires fingerprints and facial biometrics for all “third-country nationals” upon first entry to the Schengen Area.
• Rafael Schvartzman, Iata's vice-president for Europe, told the Iata Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro that EES increases passenger processing time from 20-25 seconds to 90 seconds, creating a "hard risk" of long waiting times and missed flights.
• Schvartzman urged European states to ensure borders are sufficiently manned, electronic kiosks and gates are operational, and to proactively suspend EES checks before queues become excessive.
• The airline Wizz Air has advised British passengers to arrive at European airports three hours before their departure time to account for potential delays at border control.

IN FULL

British travellers told to prepare for six-hour airport queues due to EU entry-exit checks