Australia Faces Travel Chaos Warning as France, Italy, Spain and Greece Struggle With New EU Entry/Exit System Causing Massive Airport Queues and Border Delays Across Schengen in 2026

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Australians travelling to Europe in 2026 are being impacted by growing congestion at major international airports across France, Italy, Spain and Greece, as the European Union activates its new Entry/Exit System (EES) across the Schengen Area. The system is transforming how non-EU travellers are processed at borders, replacing traditional passport stamping with mandatory biometric registration.

The change is being implemented across all Schengen external borders, affecting millions of international passengers arriving from countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. While the system is designed to modernise border security and improve tracking of short-stay visits, its rollout has triggered significant operational pressure at airports already dealing with high seasonal travel demand.

Long queues, slower immigration processing, and extended waiting times have been reported at multiple European entry points, particularly during peak arrival periods. The disruption is most visible at major tourism gateways, where infrastructure is struggling to adapt to the increased time required for biometric checks.

EU introduces biometric border system across Schengen external frontiers

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a large-scale digital border control framework introduced under European Union regulation and managed through eu-LISA, the EU agency responsible for large-scale IT systems. The system applies to all non-EU nationals entering the Schengen Area for short stays.

Under the new process, travellers must undergo biometric registration, including fingerprint scans and facial recognition capture, alongside standard passport verification. This data is stored in a centralised EU database and used to record entries, exits and duration of stay.

The EES replaces manual passport stamping, aiming to create a unified and automated record of border crossings. EU authorities state that the system strengthens external border security and helps identify overstays more effectively. However, the transition from manual to biometric processing has significantly increased the time required for each passenger at immigration counters.

First-time biometric registration creates severe airport bottlenecks

A key factor behind the current airport congestion is the first-time enrolment requirement. All non-EU travellers entering under the EES must complete biometric registration during their initial arrival into the Schengen Area.

This process includes capturing fingerprints, facial images and identity verification steps that take considerably longer than traditional passport stamping. While repeat entries are expected to be faster once data is stored, initial registration is creating bottlenecks at major airports handling long-haul international flights.

Airports across Europe, including major hubs in Paris, Rome, Madrid, Athens and Frankfurt, are experiencing longer processing times as passengers queue for biometric kiosks and border control desks. In peak travel periods, the system is adding several minutes per passenger, which multiplies into hours of delay for full arriving flights. The lack of uniform processing speed across different airports is also contributing to uneven passenger experiences across the Schengen network.

Major European airports report extended queues and processing delays

Operational data from European border points indicates that some airports are experiencing queue times extending between two and six hours during high-traffic periods. These delays are most visible during peak summer travel seasons when international arrivals surge. The congestion is driven by a combination of factors. The biometric process itself requires more time per traveller, while airport infrastructure in some locations is still adapting to the new system. In addition, staffing levels at border control points have not fully scaled in line with increased processing requirements.

Tourist-heavy airports in southern Europe are particularly affected, as they handle large volumes of long-haul arrivals from Asia-Pacific regions, including Australia. The system rollout has placed additional pressure on arrival halls, where immigration queues now extend further into terminal spaces than under previous manual systems.

Schengen-wide implementation affecting multiple countries simultaneously

The Entry/Exit System is not limited to a single nation but is being implemented across all Schengen Area member states, including France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and others.

This wide-scale deployment means that disruption is not isolated but spread across the entire European border network. However, the severity of delays varies depending on airport readiness, passenger volumes and the speed of infrastructure upgrades.Countries with high tourism inflows are experiencing the most visible operational strain. Mediterranean destinations in particular are facing pressure due to combined long-haul arrivals and seasonal travel peaks, where infrastructure is already operating near capacity during summer months.

EU border agencies continue to coordinate implementation across member states, but variations in deployment timelines and operational readiness are contributing to inconsistent processing times across different airports.

Travel impact on Australian and non-EU passengers entering Europe

The system directly affects Australian travellers as part of the non-EU category subject to biometric registration. The primary impact is extended immigration clearance time upon arrival into the Schengen Area.

Passengers entering Europe for the first time under the system are required to complete full biometric enrolment before clearance, which significantly increases processing time compared to previous procedures. This is particularly noticeable at major entry hubs receiving long-haul flights from Australia and Asia-Pacific regions.

Travel authorities in Europe have indicated that while repeat entries may become faster once biometric data is stored, the initial phase of implementation is expected to remain slow until system optimisation is achieved across all participating countries. The impact is amplified during peak travel seasons when passenger volumes increase sharply, placing additional strain on border control infrastructure.

Gradual stabilisation expected as EU expands digital border capacity

EU institutions responsible for the system, including eu-LISA and Frontex, are working to expand infrastructure capacity across Schengen external borders. This includes deployment of additional biometric kiosks, improved digital processing systems and enhanced border staffing to manage passenger flows more efficiently.

Authorities indicate that the system is expected to stabilise gradually as both technology and operational procedures are refined. However, during the early implementation phase, variability in airport performance is expected to continue.

As adoption increases and repeat traveller data builds within the system, processing times are expected to reduce. Until then, extended queues and slower border clearance remain a key feature of European arrivals for non-EU passengers, particularly at high-traffic international airports.