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Sun, 19 Jul 2026

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 New EU border system tripling time at passport control, airport boss says

Ryanair has also warned passengers travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for extended waits.

* UK nationals now take around 20 minutes to get through passport control, up from 7 minutes before EES implementation.
* Rome's Fiumicino airport has found it impractical for large volumes of passengers to use self-service "kiosks" despite their €12m cost.
* Integration with e-gates has improved things significantly, but still results in longer wait times.
* Authorities should remove duplication from the process and more countries using the EU's pre-registration app would also help, according to Rome airport's Chief Aviation Officer.
* Portugal's Faro airport has reported similar issues, including bugs in the EES technology and long queues.
* Border police at Faro have recruited more staff to help with processing passengers.