Heathrow Airport has written to the European Commission demanding urgent action after average processing times for British passengers at major EU hubs rose from seven to 20 minutes since the Entry/Exit System went fully live in April. In a letter seen by the Evening Standard and confirmed by Yahoo Finance on 23 July, Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye calls the situation “unsustainable” ahead of the peak school-holiday rush. The airport wants Brussels to issue temporary flexibility allowing member states to suspend biometric capture during demand surges – mirroring the concessions already used at land borders with Switzerland. Airlines including easyJet back the plea, saying some flights have left with dozens of empty seats because passengers were still stuck in EES queues. Business-class and status passengers are also affected because fast-track lanes feed into the same bottleneck. Travel management companies report that missed connections involving hub-and-spoke itineraries through Amsterdam and Madrid have doubled year-on-year, forcing expensive re-tickets and overnight accommodation costs. EU officials insist the system will speed up travel once first-time registration is complete but concede there have been ‘teething problems’. A decision on additional derogations is expected at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in early August.
Source: Yahoo News
