European airports, airlines demand temporary suspension of border controls this summer

European airports and airlines are sounding the alarm over the disruptive impact of the new Schengen Entry/Exit System (SES). In an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the industry is calling for an immediate, temporary suspension of the system during the peak summer travel months of July and August.

The sector argues that the SES, implemented in April, has led to significantly longer border control wait times, with some reaching up to five hours during peak traffic. These delays are not only affecting millions of passengers but also causing growing operational disruptions for airlines, including flight delays and lost connections. The situation has become "a critical point," according to the letter, placing unsustainable pressure on border authorities, airports, and airlines.

To alleviate the immediate crisis, the letter urges the commission to allow member states to "preventively suspend" the SES if passenger volumes exceed operational capacity. They also propose establishing a permanent "operational flexibility mechanism" for September onwards. These measures should remain in place until fundamental issues are resolved, such as ensuring sufficient staffing at border control points, achieving stable and reliable SES functioning, implementing pre-registration applications across all countries, and fully deploying self-service kiosks and automated border gates.

While acknowledging the role of the new border control system and their past cooperation, airports and airlines stress that the current implementation is causing "serious operational consequences." They are seeking the commission's "immediate intervention" before the summer travel season exacerbates the problem further. The industry has already seen some relief from a temporary flexibility measure allowing the suspension of biometric data collection until early September, but they emphasize that more comprehensive solutions are needed.