"Arrived Safely, Then Chaos"... What's Happening with European Travel?

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

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

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 and are arguing that the new Entry/Exit System (EES) procedures should be bypassed during the peak weeks of the 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 photographs.

Introduced on a trial basis in early October last year with the goal of curbing illegal immigration, it went into full effect this past April.

However, the self-service registration kiosks are frequently malfunctioning.

Furthermore, there are situations where passengers who have already completed the process are being forced to undergo the inspection 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 even further.

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