ACI Europe Warns Schengen Entry/Exit System Could Disrupt Summer Travel, Urges Regulatory Flexibility

Speaking at ACI Europe’s annual congress on 23 June, association president and Fraport CEO Stefan Schulte cautioned that the recently launched EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is already creating "severe operational challenges" at many airports—including Brussels—due to longer biometric capture times for third-country nationals. He called on the European Commission to allow border authorities to suspend the system temporarily at peak times to avoid "unacceptable" queues and missed flights. ACI Europe, which represents more than 500 airports, outlined five priorities for the EU’s forthcoming Aviation Strategy: safeguarding capacity through slot-rule reform, providing regulatory certainty for €360 billion in airport investments, protecting regional connectivity, accelerating innovation and supporting decarbonisation via incentives for sustainable aviation fuel. The trade body warned that revising the Airport Charges Directive without balancing investor risk could jeopardise infrastructure projects needed to deliver capacity and environmental targets. It also argued that extending the EU Emissions Trading System to all departing flights would erode European hubs’ competitiveness against Middle-East and US rivals. For Belgium, where Brussels Airport has already experienced four-hour immigration queues this month, ACI Europe’s plea raises the prospect of short-notice operational derogations during the July–August peak. Travel buyers should monitor government notifications and build in schedule buffers, especially for itineraries involving tight intra-Schengen connections. The organisation urged the Commission to consult airlines, airports and border-police unions before enforcing any further digital-border milestones, noting that some Member States still lack sufficient biometric kiosks and staffing.