British holidaymakers face the possibility of four hour waits at European airports this summer, airlines have warned. Bodies representing airlines and airports have written to the European Union demanding they take “urgent action” to prevent the rollout of strict border measures causing serious disruption to visitors.

They warned that “non-EU travellers are experiencing massive delays and inconvenience” following the introduction of a new Entry/Exit system (EES), launched in October last year. The scheme requires “third country nationals”, which includes UK passport holders, to provide fingerprints and facial biometrics the first time they enter a Schengen area border. The letter, written to Magnus Brunner, the EU commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, warns that non-EU citizens are already experiencing “persistent excessive waiting times of up to two hours” prior to the peak holiday season.

The letter is jointly signed by Olivier Jankovec, director general of Airports Council International (ACI) Europe; Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines for Europe (A4E); and Thomas Reynaert, senior vice-president of the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

They warned: “There is a complete disconnect between the perception of the EU institutions that EES is working well, and the reality, which is that non-EU travellers are experiencing massive delays and inconvenience.”

Currently, only 35% of people are required to undergo checks, with authorities having the ability to turn off the system to ease overcrowding.

They added: “Failing immediate action to provide sufficient flexibility, severe disruptions over the peak summer months are a real prospect, with queues potentially reaching four hours or more.”

Last week, the EU indicated that they would be willing to be flexible with the policy but confirmed that there had been no formal extension to the roll out which is due to be completed in April.

Markus Lammert, the European Commission spokesman, said: “The progressive deployment of the EES will end on April 9, 2026,” as he confirmed that member states would be able to partially suspend EES operations where necessary, for a period of up to 90 days.

Despite this, airline bodies are calling for EU countries to have the ability to “partially or totally suspend EES until the end of October 2026”, to cover the holiday season.

They added: “Under the progressive approach [set out in EU law], the suspension mechanisms would no longer be available beyond early July.

“Today, it remains unclear whether such suspension could still be activated with the necessary flexibility under the conditions set by the Schengen border control code for the relaxation of border control checks.”