The EU’s mandatory Entry/Exit System (EES) is supposed to go fully live on 10 April, replacing passport stamps with fingerprint and face scans for non-EU travellers. Yet with the Easter getaway in full swing, Belgium has joined France and the UK-facing terminals in warning that the technology is not ready. A Guardian report on 4 April notes that Brussels Airport has already seen two-hour queues during trial runs, prompting airport management to plead for a phased approach. Under current rules, Belgian border police may suspend biometric capture at peak times, reverting to manual stamping; but airlines fear inconsistent application will produce missed connections and compensation claims under EC 261. Business travellers from the United Kingdom—Belgium’s fourth-largest investment partner—are especially exposed because they must enrol in EES on every trip. In an open letter this week Brussels Airport, ACI EUROPE and Airlines for Europe urged the European Commission to extend ‘operational flexibilities’ through the summer. They argue that processing times per passenger have doubled in tests, a pace incompatible with hub-and-spoke transfers and Schengen minimum-connection standards. Corporate travel managers should brief employees to allow extra time at Zaventem and consider routings via airports with e-gate capacity. Employers tracking days-in-country for Posted-Worker Notification compliance must also adjust systems: once EES is active, overstay calculations will be driven by biometric exit data rather than passport stamps, leaving little room for error.
Source: The Guardian
