Wizz Air urges 3-hour arrivals amid Eu Entry-exit System Delays
Wizz Air boss Yvonne Moynihan is telling British passengers returning through European airports to arrive three hours before departure as eu entry-exit system delays are creating longer waits at border checks. She said passengers have faced longer waiting times than expected because there is another passport check under the system.
“in these circumstances, we are advising three hours,” Moynihan said on Saturday, adding that the usual advice would be two hours before a flight. The advice is aimed at British travelers using EU airports where biometric checks now apply to non-EU citizens on entry and exit.
Yvonne Moynihan on airport queues
Moynihan said the impact of the new system has been uneven across Europe, with long queues at usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal and France. She also said her own trip to Mallorca for half-term had no queues, extra staff were available and there was a significant amount of EES kiosks. That mix of experiences is what is making the advice so specific: some airports are moving passengers through, while others are making them wait much longer than the standard check-in window.
“Because there is another passport check … that’s where we see that people have, again, experienced longer waiting times than anticipated,” Moynihan said. She also told passengers: “When you land in the destination airport, there might be queues, so you should bring a portable charger or water.”
ACI Europe queue warning
ACI Europe said the situation is deteriorating and said queues were up to 3.5 hours at peak traffic times, according to a survey it conducted among 45 airports in 20 EU states on 26 May. The survey found that some airports which previously did not report excessive waiting times are now doing so, despite the extensive use of partial suspension of EES.
The European Commission said EES is not the only thing that can cause delays, and said registering information usually only takes about a minute. But the practical effect at the airport is different for passengers moving through border controls, especially when queues build at the same time that flights are leaving.
Dover and connecting flights
Last week, French police temporarily suspended the checks at the port of Dover as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays in hot weather. A port spokesperson described the situation as “challenging” and said, “We are pleased that Police Aux Frontières (PAF) have responded positively by invoking the article 9 clause of the EES regulations.”
For passengers, the advice now is straightforward: build in the extra time at departure, carry what you may need if you are stuck in a queue after landing, and leave several hours between connecting flights. The immediate change is not a new schedule but a longer airport margin, and that is the piece British travelers need before they head back through EU airports.
