{"id":5405,"date":"2026-04-15T18:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T18:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/5405\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T18:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T18:02:13","slug":"ees-system-how-are-spains-airports-faring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/5405\/","title":{"rendered":"EES system: How are Spain’s airports faring?"},"content":{"rendered":"

TRAVELLERS from beyond the EU have been bracing for \u2018nightmare\u2019 scenarios at European airports since the new digital border control system was gradually rolled out across the continent in October 2025.<\/p>\n

But the moment of truth arrived last week on Friday, April 10, when the gently cautious testing phase abruptly ended, and the EES (Entry Exit System) machines were officially turned on at all entries to the Schengen zone.<\/p>\n

Fears of delays and confusion were high, as the EES replaces human-controlled passport stamps with automatic facial recognition and fingerprint scans, digitally recording all entries and exits. What could go wrong?<\/p>\n

READ MORE: EXPLAINER: Here\u2019s how the new EES border system will work for Brits entering Spain and other EU countries from next month<\/a><\/p>\n

Quite a lot, it seems, as since full implementation five days ago, the system has caused widespread disruption across Europe.<\/p>\n

This was particularly notable at Italy\u2019s Milan Linate Airport, where many EasyJet passengers reported vomiting and fainting this week due to lengthy queues and heat.<\/p>\n

So, amid all the horror, how did Spain\u2019s airports fare compared to some of their European counterparts?<\/p>\n

Early reports suggest significantly better \u2013 bar periods of very high footfall, when delays mount as long queues snake back from EES machines.<\/p>\n

Here is The Olive Press\u2019s report card on Spain\u2019s busiest airports following the deployment of the system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Madrid Barajas Airport \u2013 A grade<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s first airport to roll out the EES system on October 12, Madrid Barajas has spared its travellers much of the frustration seen elsewhere, early reports suggest.<\/p>\n

Several people reported \u2018breezy\u2019 experiences, with short queues and priority lines for children, though some warned that the airport\u2019s machines can be slightly \u2018sensitive\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to press down hard on the passport for it to read, press fingertips down firmly to register,\u201d US traveller Adriane Mahnken said.<\/p>\n

While some users noted minor delays when multiple flights are scheduled to depart or arrive at roughly the same time, many reports described worry-free experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom luggage drop-off to gate, it took us about 20 minutes \u2026 including biometric capture and passport control,\u201d American Scott Killingsworth said.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Spain is preparing to switch on EES biometric scanners at the Gibraltar border next month \u2013 but where is the long-awaited EU-UK treaty?<\/a><\/p>\n

Barcelona El Prat Airport \u2013 B grade<\/p>\n

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According to early reports, the EES system at El Prat appears to clog up with lengthy queues at peak hours \u2013 though early-morning or late-night flights seem to spare travellers much of the hassle.<\/p>\n

One user on Reddit complained of an \u2018awful\u2019 experience after standing in line for more than three hours with \u2018nowhere to go to the restroom\u2019, as exhausted children cried and airport staff did \u2018nothing to help at all\u2019.<\/p>\n

However, beyond occasional reports of hair-pulling airport chaos, several passengers described much smoother experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo issues at all with the EES system, and we had children,\u201d Scot Lynn Esdale said. \u201cBut we may have been lucky as our flight was early, at 9:15am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport \u2013 B grade<\/p>\n

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Scores of passengers have described \u2018excellent\u2019 experiences and \u2018smooth sailing\u2019 at much-maligned Malaga Airport, with plenty of available machines for biometric scans and average waiting times of between 10 and 20 minutes, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n

British traveller Linda Kearley said she breezed through security and passport control in under 30 minutes despite the airport being \u2018packed\u2019 last Saturday.<\/p>\n

Another passenger, Brit Steven Thomas, said the system appeared to have made queuing at passport control \u2018quicker than usual\u2019.<\/p>\n

Similarly to El Prat, however, the system appears to slow down considerably during peak hours, with occasional reports of unmoving queues and waiting times of up to one hour.<\/p>\n

One Scottish traveller said on social media he stood in line for \u2018at least one hour\u2019 with \u2018no staff, no direction, no queue system\u2019 on Wednesday last week.<\/p>\n

He also reported machines malfunctioning when cameras picked up the profiles of multiple passengers standing in line.<\/p>\n

Malaga Airport was one of the first in Europe to phase in the system, with the initial rollout taking place on October 20 last year. Some disruption has been reported in recent months, especially during periods of high footfall.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Spain\u2019s police union warns of border collapse at Alicante airport as understaffing and new EES cause travel chaos<\/a><\/p>\n

Alicante Airport \u2013 B grade<\/p>\n

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Dozens of travellers have reported \u2018sailing through\u2019 at Alicante Airport, with friendly staff and well-functioning EES machines.<\/p>\n

Several airport users have described \u2018fast queues\u2019 for both passport control and EES registration, even during peak hours.<\/p>\n

However, Spain\u2019s police union claimed last month that the EES system and a critical lack of staff were pushing the airport to breaking point.<\/p>\n

According to a spokesperson for the union, passenger queues have regularly reached 500-strong since the system was rolled out in October.<\/p>\n

While the latest reports seemed to point to significant improvements, the union warned that a staggering 80% of the airport\u2019s 130 officers were regularly assigned to frontline passport control duties.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf these new machines, instead of easing the workload, generate more work, you need more police,\u201d one agent said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might need between 10 and 15 more officers to properly cover all shifts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Palma de Mallorca Airport \u2013 C grade<\/p>\n

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Following a slew of incidents as the EES system was phased in over recent months, Mallorca Airport said it would set up a separate lane for British passengers to ease pressure at border control, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.<\/p>\n

But only last Saturday, the hub was singled out as one of the worst-performing in Europe after reports poured in of queues of \u2018between two or three hours,\u2019 according to a joint statement from Airports Council International Europe. <\/p>\n

To make matters worse, officials at Palma de Mallorca Airport have warned that even EES registration at dedicated kiosks could take \u2018several minutes\u2019 per passenger.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s third busiest airport, Mallorca handles more than 30 million passengers per year, with tens of thousands arriving daily during peak periods.<\/p>\n

Tenerife South Airport \u2013 D grade<\/p>\n

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One of the Canary Islands\u2019 busiest airports, Tenerife South has come under significant strain following the EES rollout.<\/p>\n

Reports continue to pour in of nerve-racking queues and long delays, with frustrated passengers vowing to give up visiting the island in the future.<\/p>\n

Brit Vik Norton, from Wigan, said Tenerife Airport \u2018seems to be the worst under the new EES rules\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been coming to Tenerife three times a year for the past five years, but after our visit in February we have cancelled all our future planned trips due to the airport mess,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A Tenerife-based British vlogger, known online as The Knightstrider, posted a clip to YouTube showing hundreds of people queuing for dozens of metres from passport control on April 11.<\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/p>\n

Queuing passengers can be seen scoffing in exhaustion as incredulous travellers join the back end of the line.<\/p>\n

The vlogger joined a chorus of frustrated social media users in urging travellers to arrive at Tenerife Airport at least three hours before departure.<\/p>\n

Click here to read more Olive Press Travel News<\/a> from The Olive Press.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TRAVELLERS from beyond the EU have been bracing for \u2018nightmare\u2019 scenarios at European airports since the new digital…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3698,596,978,92,3699,3700,3701,333,2457,600,59,60,3702,17,3703,62,3704],"class_list":{"0":"post-5405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-aeroplane","9":"tag-airport","10":"tag-alicante","11":"tag-barcelona","12":"tag-ees-system","13":"tag-el-prat","14":"tag-entry-exit-system","15":"tag-european-union","16":"tag-malaga","17":"tag-mallorca","18":"tag-news-spain","19":"tag-newspaper","20":"tag-schengen","21":"tag-spain","22":"tag-tenerife","23":"tag-the-olive-press","24":"tag-travel-chaos"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}