Lisbon Airport Chaos Linked to EU Entry/Exit System Delays

The EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES), which replaces passport stamps with digital biometric checks, has triggered long queues at several European airports. At Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport, passengers faced waits of up to three and a half hours to clear passport control, causing missed connections and prompting the Portuguese infrastructure minister to apologise and announce additional staff and an expanded border zone. Airlines such as Wizz Air have urged travellers to arrive three hours before departure rather than the usual two. ACI Europe reports similar congestion at airports in Spain, Portugal and France, with waiting times sometimes exceeding three and a half hours during peak periods. The European Commission notes that the biometric verification itself averages about one minute per passenger and is not the sole cause of the delays, which also stem from high passenger volumes and the need for airports to adapt quickly to new equipment and procedures.