A family faced an 11-hour ordeal at Charles de Gaulle airport on April 29, 2026, due to significant delays caused by new EU border biometric checks. David Newton and his family arrived three hours before their flight but ended up stranded in departures.
They spent over five hours waiting in queues for EU border biometric checks. The Entry/Exit System (EES) was fully launched just weeks earlier on April 10, 2026. This system requires non-EU nationals to provide fingerprints and a facial photo.
David described the situation as ‘mayhem,’ with thousands of passengers queuing at border control. Only about a third of the 15 booths were manned, exacerbating the delays.
As of midday, several EES kiosks at major hubs in France were not operational due to technical issues. Greece has also suspended biometric checks for British nationals amid growing queues.
ACI Europe warned that passengers could face delays of up to three hours during peak travel periods. Processing each passenger manually took around five minutes, compounding frustrations.
David reported that they finally got through passport control two hours after their flight had departed. They then needed an additional four hours to check their luggage back in.
Passengers expressed distress as they witnessed others crying and pleading about missing their flights. David stated, “It was shocking. I’ve never missed a flight in my life.” He suggested that driving might be quicker than dealing with the hassle of air travel right now.
The European Commission noted that while the EES system has been functioning well in most member states since its launch, it allowed for temporary suspensions of biometric collection under exceptional circumstances that could lead to long wait times.
The exact duration of the technical issues affecting EES kiosks is unclear. It remains uncertain how long various countries will suspend these checks amid ongoing concerns over long queues.