The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) dominated aviation headlines on 3 July after industry portal Travel and Tour World reported five-hour passport queues at leisure gateways including Tenerife South, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante and Málaga. Introduced in April, EES replaces manual passport stamping with biometric registration for all non-EU arrivals. Airlines, airports and trade body ACI Europe have jointly asked Brussels to postpone full enforcement until after the summer peak. Ryanair says dozens of passengers have already missed flights because understaffed border posts cannot process the volume of fingerprint and facial scans. Spain’s Ministry of Interior insists staffing plans are “adequate” and that wait times will fall once repeat travellers are in the database. Nevertheless, airport operators Aena and regional tourism boards fear reputational damage just as Spain targets another record summer. Business-travel managers should advise non-EU employees to arrive at least three hours before departure from Spanish airports serving UK or long-haul markets. Carriers are adjusting minimum-connection times, and some, including Iberia Express, are waiving rebooking fees for missed onward flights caused by EES delays. Companies may also need to budget for lounge access or overnight stays when itineraries involve tight turnarounds.
Source: Travel and Tour World
