EES biometric registration suspended during airport surges in Europe

Passenger surge strains the EU’s new border system

Biometric registration under the EU’s new Entry/Exit System is being temporarily suspended at some European airports when passenger traffic rises during the summer. Airport and airline officials say the system increases operational pressure during busy periods.

Scraper SystemAugust 06, 2026, 10:52 PM

Passenger surge strains the EU’s new border system

Rising passenger traffic in Europe during the summer is prompting some airports to temporarily suspend biometric registration under the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES). The suspension is being implemented in connection with lengthening queues and congestion at border controls.

Air France-KLM announced that it disables EES biometric registration during busy periods at its hubs in Paris and Amsterdam to ensure that transfers continue smoothly. Airline executives, along with border and airport officials, said similar measures had also been taken in Milan, Frankfurt and Brussels.

Surge in traffic strains infrastructure

Cristian Sternativo, who works on the border-control team at Italy’s Milan Malpensa Airport, said fully implementing EES procedures could lead to public-order problems. Sternativo said the existing infrastructure was not suited to managing traffic during busy periods.

Officials, however, stress that the temporary suspension of biometric checks does not endanger security.

Biometric registration replaces passport stamps

With the EES entering into force on April 10, the practice of manually stamping passports came to an end. The system requires non-EU nationals to provide fingerprints and have a biometric photograph taken at border crossings.

The biometric registration steps lengthen passport checks, resulting in long queues and congestion at airports.

Request to suspend the system sent to the European Commission

On July 1, Airports Council International Europe informed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a letter that the EES was causing difficulties for passengers. The council said the new system was creating unsustainable operational pressure on airports and airlines.

The letter called for the EES to be suspended at least until the end of August. The European Commission also announced that biometric registration under the EES could be temporarily suspended if airports become congested during the summer.

Passenger surge strains the EU’s new border system