EasyJet issues ominous delays statement as EU says 'expect queues' in two European holiday hotspots

EasyJet has issued a warning to the thousands of passengers flying with the airline this summer amid the European Union telling Brits to expect issues upon arrival in two holiday hotspots.

It's all due to the Entry / Exit System, or EES, which was rolled out across Europe last year and became live in April 2026, impacting all countries in the Schengen Area.

For those unaware, that applies to the following 29 European countries - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The basic rule behind the scheme is to digitalise a travelling person's whereabouts when in the Schengen Area, so that non-EU residents don't violate the '90/180 Rule' - this is where you stay more than 90 days in every 180 days without a visa. Since the United Kingdom left the EU and the freedom of movement that comes with that, it is now at the mercy of such a rule.

EES waiting times have been up to three hours (Mouneb Taim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

EasyJet warning

In an update to passengers this week, easyJet told passengers that the biometrics side of onboarding your details in to the EES will see delays upon arrival in the EU. When you arrive at an airpot, you will need to have your fingerprints taken and face scanned.

"Airports across Europe may experience longer waiting times at passport control due to the new European Entry/Exit System (EES)," easyJet told customers.

"This could mean you need to have your biometrics taken at border checks, including the scanning of facial images and fingerprints."

EasyJet also went as far as warning passengers it may not be able to wait for passengers delayed by this process, adding: "We strongly recommend arriving at the airport with plenty of time to spare."

In April, the airline left 122 passengers in Milan after they were delayed by the EES process trying to board a flight back to Manchester. At the time, the airline told LADbible that it held the flight for 'nearly an hour' but departed due to safety regulations for its staff, with customers who missed the flight offered a free flight transfer.

The European Commission says we could see temporary suspensions of the EES (Mouneb Taim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Delays in Portugal and Italy for Brits

Despite rumours that Brits may be given an EES exemption for those travelling in to Portugal and Italy, this is not going to be the case.

Officials from the European Commission told The Connexion that 'the Portuguese and Italian authorities confirmed that they do not intend to exempt any nationality'.

That means that right now, only Greece is offering EES exemption to Brits flying in for their summer holidays in summer 2026.

Some airports have seen EES queues of up to three hours during the rollout of the EES during this year's spring and summer travel season.

And Ryanair said that queues of an hour were seen in France last week due to the EES, with the Irish airline asking for the system to be delayed for the summer travel window.

Ryanair said: "The French authorities have known for over three years that EES would become fully operational from April 10, 2026, yet they have failed to ensure adequate staffing, system readiness or kiosks are in place and working.

“These excessive passport control queues cannot continue into the peak summer season. Ryanair has already written to governments across the 29 EES countries – including to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez – urging them to suspend EES until September."

Could the EES still be suspended for Brits?

The short answer is yes, with the European Commission saying it expects 'flexibility' in the scheme during the summer period.

It confirmed that it would be 'possible' for countries to temporarily suspend the scheme but only due to 'exceptional' circumstances.

"The suspension of the collection of biometric data is possible at specific border crossing points and for a limited amount of time in cases of exceptional circumstances that lead to excessive waiting times," it said.