Airports across Europe – including Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck – scrambled this spring to cope with the full roll-out of the Entry/Exit System (EES). The biometric registration scheme, operational since April, recorded non-EU travellers’ prints and photos but created five-hour queues at some hubs. In an article on 7 July 2026 the Berliner Zeitung confirmed, citing an internal Commission memo, that Brussels has now delayed the start of ETIAS, the travel-authorisation requirement for visa-exempt visitors, until 2027. ETIAS was due to go live in Q4 2026, meaning non-visa travellers to Austria (e.g. Britons, Americans, Australians) would have needed a €7 online permit. Airport operators (ACI Europe), airlines (A4E) and IATA had warned of “operational meltdown” if another IT layer were added before EES stabilises. The Commission will table legislation after the summer allowing member states to suspend EES when wait times exceed two hours; carriers also gain a temporary waiver from checking EES status at boarding. For Austrian tourism and conference organisers the reprieve is significant. The National Tourist Office estimates that 61 % of long-haul visitors to Austria are from visa-exempt countries; postponing ETIAS avoids potential booking friction for the 2026/27 ski season. However, companies should not be complacent: the new start date is only 12–18 months away, and API/Interactive-Advance Passenger Information rules will tighten in parallel. Action points for mobility teams: • Continue educating travellers about EES fingerprint and facial-capture on first entry. • Update booking tools in early 2027 to capture ETIAS numbers like US ESTA. • Plan for possible summer suspensions of EES at Vienna Airport; allow buffer times in itineraries. While the delay eases immediate pressure, the long-term trend is clear – Europe is shifting to US-style pre-clearance. Austrian stakeholders now have a window to lobby for a traveller-friendly fee structure and swift bulk-application channels for tour operators.
Source: Berliner Zeitung
