Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have delivered an open letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling the roll-out of the Entry/Exit System a “critical point” for European travel. Published on 1 July and updated on 2 July, the letter says border delays of “up to five hours” have already been recorded and warns of reputational damage to EU destinations if the situation persists. Although the plea is pan-European, Poland features prominently in the signatories’ supporting data. ACI Europe lists Kraków-Balice, Warszawa-Chopin and Gdańsk among the 20 Schengen gateways most susceptible to saturation because they rely heavily on British, U.S. and Canadian leisure traffic – all passenger groups that now need biometric enrolment. The associations want permission for “localised, time-limited suspensions” so that airports can turn the system off when throughput exceeds design capacity. Commission spokespeople reiterated on Tuesday that the Schengen Borders Code already allows Member States to defer the capture of biometrics when waiting times become excessive, but industry leaders argue that the guidance is too vague and that national authorities, including Poland’s Ministry of the Interior (MSWiA), are reluctant to act without an explicit political green light from Brussels.
![Aviation bodies demand flexibility to suspend EES during summer rush]()
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ can serve as a useful back-office ally. Through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the company aggregates the latest border-control advisories, automates visa applications and sends real-time alerts, helping both corporate mobility teams and individual holidaymakers stay ahead of any last-minute changes linked to EES or other policy shifts.
For multinationals moving staff in and out of Poland, the industry push matters because any temporary suspension would restore pre-EES processing times, smoothing itinerary planning and reducing duty-of-care risks. Mobility teams should monitor next week’s high-level meeting between the Commission and aviation stakeholders and be prepared to update traveller briefing notes at short notice. If the Commission concedes greater flexibility, companies may briefly enjoy faster border crossings; if not, advance communication to travellers about longer queues and the need for earlier airport arrival will remain essential through the summer season.
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ can serve as a useful back-office ally. Through its Poland portal (https://www.visahq.com/poland/), the company aggregates the latest border-control advisories, automates visa applications and sends real-time alerts, helping both corporate mobility teams and individual holidaymakers stay ahead of any last-minute changes linked to EES or other policy shifts.
For multinationals moving staff in and out of Poland, the industry push matters because any temporary suspension would restore pre-EES processing times, smoothing itinerary planning and reducing duty-of-care risks. Mobility teams should monitor next week’s high-level meeting between the Commission and aviation stakeholders and be prepared to update traveller briefing notes at short notice. If the Commission concedes greater flexibility, companies may briefly enjoy faster border crossings; if not, advance communication to travellers about longer queues and the need for earlier airport arrival will remain essential through the summer season.
