{"id":708720,"date":"2026-01-20T13:46:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T13:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/708720\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T13:46:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T13:46:17","slug":"the-worst-airports-in-europe-for-post-brexit-border-queues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/708720\/","title":{"rendered":"The worst airports in Europe for post-Brexit border queues"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\t\tThere are concerns about border chaos at European airports in the coming months due to the EU’s new EES biometric checks\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

Increased airport checks from new EU<\/a> border rules have led to concerns that holidaymakers could face fresh travel chaos this summer.<\/p>\n

Since its rollout in October, the entry\/exit system (EES)<\/a> requires non-EU nationals travelling to Schengen Area countries to have photos and fingerprint scans.<\/p>\n

The digital biometrics system, which will replace manual passport stamping, is designed to ensure non-EU nationals are not staying in the Schengen zone for more than 90 out of 180 days.<\/p>\n

New FeatureIn ShortQuick Stories. Same trusted journalism.<\/p>\n

During a six-month phased rollout, third-country arrivals, including Britons, will still also have their passports stamped, but from April, the process is due to be fully digitised.<\/p>\n

The European Commission insisted EES has operated \u201clargely without issues\u201d since its launch, with no \u201csignificant queues\u201d apart from in limited cases.<\/p>\n

But red lights are flashing already, with passengers telling The i Paper that they have been stuck in long EES delays at passport control.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Europe\u2019s airport trade body Airports Council International (ACI) Europe is warning of a risk of \u201cserious safety hazards\u201d from hiking the threshold of passengers checked from this month to 35 per cent.<\/p>\n

\"\"Queues at Berlin Airport in December due to new EES checks, which one traveller described as \u2018disgraceful\u2019 (Photo: Jamie Kay)<\/p>\n

ACI Europe said processing times had already increased by up to 70 per cent, with three-hour queues reported before this month\u2019s hike.<\/p>\n

EasyJet has previously warned that the enhanced checks could see passengers from the UK forced to stay on planes if European airports are full to capacity, with tourism bosses advising travellers to brace for delays.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for trade body ABTA told The i Paper: \u201cWherever you are travelling, with the ongoing rollout of EES, travellers should be prepared for the possibility of longer queues at passport control arrival and departure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re also encouraging border authorities across the EU to plan for busy times and use the contingency measures available to them, which can help avoid lengthy queues and waiting times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some of the airports where passengers have been worst-hit by EES congestion so far.<\/p>\n

Lisbon<\/p>\n

At the end of 2025, the Portuguese Government suspended EES checks at Lisbon\u2019s Humberto Delgado Airport for three months after weeks of chaos.<\/p>\n

\n

Minha m\u00e3e, com quase 70 anos, est\u00e1 h\u00e1 6 horas na fila do controle de passaporte do Aeroporto de Lisboa. Sem comida, sem \u00e1gua, sem banheiro, junto com centenas de outros, incluindo idosos e crian\u00e7as.<\/p>\n

Esc\u00e1rnio completo em um aeroporto que se prop\u00f5e a ser um hub para a AL na UE. pic.twitter.com\/IXmf2ywEU4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Emiliano Abad (@emilianoabad) December 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Soldiers were deployed to man border checkpoints after queues of up to seven hours at arrivals in one of Europe\u2019s busiest airports.<\/p>\n

Over Christmas, 80 police officers had been drafted in to help deal with lengthy waits at the Portuguese capital since EES launched last October.<\/p>\n

Portugal\u2019s government said the EES suspension came after a \u201cworsening of constraints\u201d for passengers arriving from outside the Schengen Area.<\/p>\n

But the European Commission claimed the decision was not related to any issues with \u201cthe functioning of EES\u201d and that Portugal had indicated the suspension was necessary to \u201caccommodate restructuring work within the airport\u2019s border area\u201d.<\/p>\n

Brussels<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Brussels Airport said EES has led to queues of up to three hours and said the delays have increased the need for \u201csufficient\u201d staffing at border controls.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeak waiting times at arrival (entry of Belgium) can go up to three hours, and we also saw an increase in waiting times at departures,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us as an airport, it is crucial that the Federal Police has the necessary staff to ensure acceptable waiting times for our passengers.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also called for the Government to allow the use of e-gates for third-country citizens, Americans, British, Canadians, and others on departure as well as arrival.<\/p>\n

Currently, only Europeans nationals can use the airport e-gates.<\/p>\n

M\u00e1laga\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s Interior Ministry says that since October\u2019s launch, EES has been tested at ports, airports, and land borders \u201cwithout any queues or significant incidents\u201d so far.<\/p>\n

\"\"British holidaymakers arriving at Malaga on 29 December queued for almost two hours (Photo: Rob Debenham)<\/p>\n

But travellers from the UK told The i Paper of EES queues of almost two hours at M\u00e1laga Airport, with kiosks for facial and fingerprint scans not working.<\/p>\n

Holidaymakers who travelled to the Spanish airport over Christmas and November raised concerns for passenger safety during the peak 2026 holiday periods once the new checks are fully in force for all non-EU travellers.<\/p>\n

John Calladine, 51, from Leeds, experienced \u201chorrific\u201d queues on 22 November, with passengers, many of them elderly, stuck in long lines for at least an hour.<\/p>\n

He fears medical emergencies could be \u201cvery possible\u201d during peak travel periods once EES is fully operational, adding that the full rollout will be \u201ca disaster\u201d.<\/p>\n

Lanzarote<\/p>\n

British nationals arriving in Lanzarote have also reported being stuck in two-hour queues from the new checks, which started at C\u00e9sar Manrique airport on 12 November.<\/p>\n

According to reports in Spanish media, at the airport\u2019s terminal one, 26 manual checkpoints, 72 automated devices, and 48 Automatic Border Control booths are now in place to handle arrivals.<\/p>\n

But before EES launched, the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Jos\u00e9 Valle, raised concerns that the new checks could lead to \u201cserious collapses\u201d at the airport.<\/p>\n

Prior to EES, there had already been criticism of long queues at passport control for non-EU citizens.<\/p>\n

In October, Valle warned that arrival control is carried out in a very small space and long queues occur at specific times, \u201csuch as the arrival of three or four flights from the UK\u201d.<\/p>\n

Around 1.6 million passengers from the UK come to Lanzarote each year, with one, who arrived this month, describing the delays as \u201cabsolute chaos\u201d.<\/p>\n

Posting on X, he said: \u201cWaited two hours and we weren\u2019t even halfway towards the biometrics area, never mind passport control.<\/p>\n

\u201cFortunately, the handling agent spotted that we had two babies in our party and waived us through. No biometrics!\u201d<\/p>\n

Prague<\/p>\n

There have also been reports of long EES queues at Prague Airport.<\/p>\n

According to reports, a software glitch on 28 December froze all of the airport\u2019s 36 biometric kiosks for processing third-country nationals. <\/p>\n

Czech police had to revert to manual passport stamping at V\u00e1clav Havel Airport Prague.<\/p>\n

But problems have also been reported in earlier weeks, with passengers taking to social media to voice their frustration.<\/p>\n

One posted on X on 19 December: \u201cThe EES at Prague Airport is beyond ridiculous. Two hours to get out of the airport. It was carnage. No airport staff to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another wrote: \u201cNever seen a line like this at Prague Airport. This is for passport control under the recently introduced EES<\/a> scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n

Italy (Milan, Venice, Verona)<\/p>\n

Fears over airport congestion at next month\u2019s Winter Olympics in Milan have led Italy to consider suspending EES checks for athletes and officials.<\/p>\n

According to reports in the Italian press, the airports where checks would be stopped are Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Venice, and Verona.<\/p>\n

The i Paper understands the suspension has not been confirmed, but that it is one option being discussed to mitigate delays from the games, which take place from February 6 to 22 and are due to attract up to two million visitors.<\/p>\n

The busiest airport, Malpensa, is expecting more than 150,000 fans and 15,500 Olympics participants and officials in the week before the opening ceremony, bringing a substantial increase in traffic from non-Schengen countries.<\/p>\n

Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI Europe, said: \u201cThere are legitimate concerns about the capacity of border-control processes to absorb this demand smoothly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the threshold of required registrations in the EES now pushed to 35 per cent, both the airport operations and the passenger experience are at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geneva<\/p>\n

Travellers to Geneva airport, Europe\u2019s busiest ski destination, have reported being stuck in four-hour lines.<\/p>\n

\"BritishBritish holidaymakers have been stuck in queues of more than four hours after landing at Geneva
(Photo: Paul Moston)<\/p>\n

In October, British holidaymakers told The i Paper they were stuck in Geneva airport for more than two hours after landing due to the new post-Brexit checks.<\/p>\n

Paul Moston, 60, from north London, who queued for more than two hours with his family in October, described it as \u201ca traveller\u2019s worst nightmare\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore and more flights are arriving and the queue is the entire length of the terminal. It\u2019s nuts,\u201d he told The i Paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey say it will speed up, but it\u2019s going to be a long, slow process to get everybody on the system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve got to register and then go through passport control like this, it\u2019s just going to be a nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n

Germany (Cologne, Berlin)<\/p>\n

Passengers travelling to Germany have also experienced problems, with British nationals among those experiencing long queues after arriving at Cologne Airport last week.<\/p>\n

\"\"British nationals were among those stuck in queues at Cologne Airport on Friday<\/p>\n

One disgruntled passenger, who was travelling for his stag-do last Friday, said: \u201cBeen in a queue for an hour and a half and not moving. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery other gate is empty but they\u2019re not putting on extra people. They don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jamie Kay, who travelled to Berlin in December, posted on X that the EES system at the airport was a \u201ctotal farce\u201d.<\/p>\n

\t\tYour next read<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\"Article <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAutomatic kiosks not working, all registrations being conducted manually, with only two border police desks open. Been queuing for 40 mins and hardly moved. EU passport lane completely clear,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, they had to open up the EU lane to clear the bottleneck. Still stamping passports. <\/p>\n

\u201cPlenty of folks jumping the queue. Took two hours in the end to get through. Disgraceful.\u201d<\/p>\n