Three of Europe's largest aviation trade organisations sent a joint open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on July 1, 2026, asking Brussels to let member states suspend Entry/Exit System (EES) border checks whenever passenger volumes overwhelm border-facility capacity. ACI EUROPE (representing airports), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) wrote that the system has reached "a critical point," citing wait times of up to five hours during peak periods and warning that roughly 40 million additional passengers are expected to travel through Schengen-area airports in July and August compared with the two months before. The letter lands three months after EES became fully operational and just as the peak summer travel season begins, and it sets up a direct disagreement with the Commission over how the new border system should handle its first full high-season test.
Background
EES replaces manual passport stamping for non-EU nationals crossing the Schengen area's external borders with a digital system that records entries, exits and biometric data, including fingerprints and facial images. It began a progressive rollout on October 12, 2025 across 29 European countries and became fully operational at every external border crossing point on April 10, 2026. In the weeks after full rollout, the European Commission reported more than 52 million entries and exits processed and over 27,000 refusals of entry, describing the system's early performance as a success. Airports and airlines have taken a different view since then, arguing that processing times at self-service kiosks, biometric enrolment stations and staffed booths have not kept pace with passenger volumes, especially at the largest hub airports.
What the letter asks for
The letter makes two distinct requests. The first is immediate: it asks the Commission to allow national border authorities to "completely suspend EES, preventively whenever passenger volumes exceed the operational capacity of border control facilities," for the duration of July and August. The second is longer term: it asks the Commission to establish, by September 2026, a permanent operational flexibility mechanism that would let border authorities suspend EES procedures under clearly defined exceptional circumstances going forward, rather than reverting to manual stamping only as an emergency, ad hoc measure. The letter frames both requests as conditional, meaning the industry group says this flexibility should remain available until several structural problems are fixed: adequate staffing at border crossings, improved system stability and reliability, full deployment of self-service kiosks and automated gates, and complete functionality of the EES pre-registration app across all member states.
What the letter is asking Brussels to do
- July–August: allow member states to suspend EES checks whenever passenger volumes exceed border-facility capacity
- By September: create a permanent mechanism allowing suspensions under defined exceptional circumstances
- Conditions attached: fix staffing shortages, improve system stability, finish kiosk and e-gate rollout, and get the pre-registration app fully working across member states
Who it affects
Anyone flying into or out of the Schengen area this summer as a non-EU national is affected by how this dispute resolves. That includes people relocating to a Schengen country who are still making entry and exit trips during a visa or residence-permit process, as well as anyone doing short-stay travel who needs to track their days under the 90/180-day rule. The World Travel & Tourism Council, which backed the aviation industry's letter, warned that if three-hour delays become the summer norm, as much as $45.4 billion in visitor spending and 41 million arrivals could be at risk across the bloc. Airlines have also reported flights departing with empty seats because passengers were still stuck in border queues when boarding closed, a knock-on effect that could affect connecting itineraries through major European hubs.
What this means in practice
For now, EES checks continue as normal; the Commission has not announced any suspension authority or changed procedures in response to the letter. Anyone traveling to a Schengen country in the coming weeks should build in extra time at the airport, particularly at large hub airports during peak arrival windows, and should not assume manual passport stamping will resume as a fallback unless national authorities announce it. GoMate's [Schengen 90/180 calculator](/tools/schengen) can help track exactly how EES-recorded entries and exits count against short-stay limits, and the earlier explainer on [how the Entry/Exit System works](/news/eu-entry-exit-system-ees) covers the mechanics of biometric registration for first-time travelers under the new system.
Timeline to watch
The letter asks for an immediate response covering July and August, with a permanent flexibility framework requested by September 2026. As of July 1, the Commission had not publicly responded to either request.
What is not yet confirmed
The European Commission has not issued a public statement responding to the letter, agreeing to any suspension authority, or setting a timeline for a decision. Whether, and how, any flexibility mechanism would actually be implemented at individual border crossings remains unknown.
Key Takeaway
Europe's airports and airlines asked the European Commission on July 1 for the power to suspend EES border checks during summer peaks, citing five-hour wait times, but Brussels has not yet responded, so travelers should expect EES checks to continue as normal for now.