Global travel magazine Business Traveller issued an urgent advisory on 10 April after receiving reports of EES-related queues of up to four hours at several European airports, including Brussels. The publication notes that the biometric enrolment itself is quick but that ‘‘first-time’’ registrants create a domino effect, slowing the line for everyone behind them—particularly during morning bank departures to North America and late-evening waves to Africa. Because Belgium is both a Schengen border-entry point and a major connecting hub for Star Alliance, the delays threaten tight intra-Europe connections that many corporate itineraries rely on. The magazine quotes Airports Council International data indicating security-processing times can jump 70 % when EES kiosks are in full use. Business Traveller recommends corporates revise their travel policies immediately: non-EU staff should aim to reach Brussels Airport at least four hours before flight time; travellers with meetings in the city should factor in possible missed trains from the airport’s rail station; and mobility teams should brief frequent flyers that even if they have previously submitted biometrics they must line up with first-timers until automated e-gates are expanded. For companies rotating project teams between the UK and Belgium, the article underscores the risk that a delayed arrival could wipe out the benefit of a same-day out-and-back trip—a common practice under post-Brexit business-visitor rules. Until throughput stabilises, virtual meetings or longer stays may be the safer option.
Source: Business Traveller
