Brits warned of 6-hour wait at holiday hotspot due to EES

The EU’s new entry/exit system (EES) launched last month, with non-EU nationals travelling in Europe now required to provide personal data, and have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken.

The EES has received significant backlash since its introduction, with it causing long waits for passengers at airports.

Major airlines, including Jet2 and Ryanair, have called for the rollout of the new system to be suspended until after the summer to allow for a “smoother airport experience” during peak travel season.

CEO of Ryanair’s Malta subsidiary, Malta Air, David O’Brien, has also threatened to pull all flights to Malta due to the extended wait times caused by the EES at airports.

Travellers warned of 6-hour wait at holiday hotspot

Brits are now being warned of six-hour waits at airports in Portugal caused by the new EES.

It has led to severe delays at Portuguese airports, particularly in Lisbon and Faro.

A Portugal travel advisor, known as @travel_luckk on Instagram, said: “Last week a family I advised landed in Lisbon and stood in line for 6 hours and 40 minutes.

“Their toddler slept on a suitcase. They missed their transfer to the Algarve.

“This wasn’t bad luck. This is Portugal in 2026—and almost no one is talking about it yet.”

She warned that the travel through Lisbon can be especially difficult, particularly on Monday mornings between 6am and 11am.

While Faro International Airport is one to “avoid” from May to September.

The travel expert explained: “Faro was built for 4M passengers. It now processes 9M+ in summer.

“Add EES on top, and arrivals from the UK and Germany regularly stall for 5+ hours.”

Porto is currently a quieter and more efficient alternative, according to @travel_luckk, for entry into northern and central Portugal.

The Portugal travel advisor said: “OPO is 40% faster through EES than Lisbon right now.

“Smaller terminal, calmer staff, fewer transatlantic dumps.”

She also advised families with children under 12 to request access to the assisted lane, which could reduce wait times to around 30 minutes.

In addition to border delays, rolling luggage handling strikes are compounding the travel disruption.

Ryanair urges Portuguese Government to suspend EES

Ryanair has called on the Portuguese Government to pause the rollout of the EES until September.

Portugal has been aware of the EES implementation date for more than three years but has failed to ensure sufficient staffing, system reliability, and the installation of necessary kiosks, according to Ryanair.

Chief operations officer at Ryanair, Neal McMahon, said: “Govts across Europe are attempting to roll out a half-baked IT system in the middle of the busiest travel season of the year, and passengers are paying the price, being forced to endure hours long passport control queues and in some cases, missing flights.

“The solution is simple and already provided for under EU law (EU Reg. 2025/1534) – Govts should suspend EES until September when the peak summer travel season has subsided, just as Greece has done.

“This would allow passengers – many of whom are travelling with young families – a smoother airport experience for their summer holidays.”

Travellers heading to Portugal this summer are advised to plan ahead, allow for extra time, and consider alternative routes or airports where possible.

Elsewhere, Greece has backtracked on the EES suspension it announced back in April.

British travellers will now likely need to complete biometric checks upon entering Greece this summer, despite previously being told they would be exempt from this.

Earlier in May, the country’s tourism minister, Olga Kefalogianni, said the Greek government did not want visitors to be “burdened” by bureaucratic procedures when entering or leaving the country.

However, European and Greek authorities have now clarified that suspension of the system is permitted only during periods of high passenger traffic at specific entry points and does not apply to any country or nationality.

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