Europe’s main aviation bodies – Airports Council International (ACI Europe), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sounding the alarm over the Schengen Entry/Exit System (EES). In an open letter published on 4 July, the groups revealed that some airports are already logging passenger waits of up to five hours and insisted that Member States be allowed to suspend the biometric checks outright during the peak July–August travel window. The plea carries particular weight for Belgium. Brussels Airport expects more than five million passengers over the two summer months and has already struggled with three-hour queues since the EES became mandatory in April. Although Belgian authorities invoked a ‘flex-mode’ in March that lets border police halt fingerprint collection once waits exceed 25 minutes, the airport still had to deploy two extra control stations and 60 self-service kiosks – measures that barely kept delays under an hour during the recent Pentecost rush. Industry leaders argue that the current rules tie the hands of border-police commanders: suspension can only be triggered when queues have already reached critical length, by which point knock-on delays ripple through flight schedules. ACI wants a blanket opt-out for July and August plus a standing ‘operational-flexibility’ clause thereafter. Without it, they warn, missed connections and crew-duty-time infringements could cascade into thousands of cancellations across Europe, hitting hub airports such as Brussels hardest because of their high proportion of transfer traffic. For mobility managers, the stakes are high. Companies moving staff into or out of Belgium this summer should advise non-EU travellers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure and to pre-enrol via the EU’s still-beta smartphone app where possible.
![Industry Warns Brussels of Five-Hour Border Queues, Urges Summer Suspension of EU Entry/Exit System]()
Travellers who still need to arrange their Schengen documentation can save time by using VisaHQ’s online platform, which walks applicants through every step and lists the most up-to-date requirements specific to Belgium. Securing the correct visa well in advance removes one more variable from an already tight airport timeline and helps minimise last-minute surprises at the border.
Corporate travel policies may also need temporary amendments to cover hotel and re-ticketing costs attributable to border-control delays – expenses that are not recoverable under EU air-passenger-rights rules. The Commission has so far resisted calls for a wholesale pause, insisting that Member States must adapt staffing and that the system is ‘working as intended’. With passenger volumes set to spike from the first weekend of school holidays on 11 July, the coming fortnight will test whether Belgium’s contingency measures are sufficient or whether political pressure for a broader suspension becomes irresistible.
Travellers who still need to arrange their Schengen documentation can save time by using VisaHQ’s online platform, which walks applicants through every step and lists the most up-to-date requirements specific to Belgium. Securing the correct visa well in advance removes one more variable from an already tight airport timeline and helps minimise last-minute surprises at the border.
Corporate travel policies may also need temporary amendments to cover hotel and re-ticketing costs attributable to border-control delays – expenses that are not recoverable under EU air-passenger-rights rules. The Commission has so far resisted calls for a wholesale pause, insisting that Member States must adapt staffing and that the system is ‘working as intended’. With passenger volumes set to spike from the first weekend of school holidays on 11 July, the coming fortnight will test whether Belgium’s contingency measures are sufficient or whether political pressure for a broader suspension becomes irresistible.
