"Arrived Safely at the Airport, Only to Face Chaos": What's Happening with European Travel?

As the weather gets warmer, many of you are likely planning your summer vacations.

If you are planning a trip to Europe, you should pay close attention to this.

There are reports of growing chaos regarding immigration procedures at major European airports.

The Financial Times recently reported that European airport operators are concerned about major disruptions this summer, arguing that the new Entry/Exit System (EES) procedures should be skipped during the peak season.

The EES is a system that requires short-term visitors who are not citizens of EU member states to digitally register their fingerprints and facial images.

Introduced on a trial basis in early October last year to curb illegal immigration, it was fully implemented in April of this year.

However, the self-registration kiosks are frequently malfunctioning.

Furthermore, there are situations where passengers who have already completed the process are being forced to undergo the screening again from the beginning, leading to long queues.

As the summer vacation season kicks into full gear, the number of visitors is expected to surge, which will likely exacerbate the situation.

The International Air Transport Association has projected that waiting times could reach up to 6 hours at the most severely affected airports.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.