Spain Along with Italy and More Faces Severe Delays at Airports and Sea Ports as EES Intensifies Amid ETIAS Postponement in 2026

Written By: Jishnoo Banerjee

Jishnoo Banerjee

A published author with over 9 years of experience in writing, poetry, and novel creation. Starting out on social media, Jishnoo gained recognition for engaging content in both English and Bengali. With a strong background as a news content writer, Jishnoo now contributes to a prestigious global travel magazine. Known for blending creative writing with journalism, the work seamlessly combines artistic expression with insightful reporting across different platforms.

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August 30, 2026 6:47 PM

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Spain along with Italy and more European destinations is facing severe delays at airports and sea ports as the Entry/Exit System, or EES, intensifies border processing for millions of non-EU travellers in 2026. The system became fully operational across external Schengen border crossings on 10 April 2026. It replaces routine passport stamping with digital entry and exit records and biometric checks for covered short-stay non-EU nationals. The transformation promises stronger and smarter European borders, but the transition has created pressure at several major travel gateways. Meanwhile, ETIAS is still not operational. The European Union currently expects it to start in the last quarter of 2026, giving visa-exempt travellers a temporary period in which EES is operating without the additional ETIAS pre-travel authorisation requirement.

EES Changes the Way Millions of Tourists Enter and Leave Europe

Europe’s Entry/Exit System is one of the largest changes to Schengen border management in decades.

EES began its progressive rollout on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026. It operates at the external borders of the 29 European countries participating in the system.

Instead of relying on passport stamps, EES digitally records information about covered non-EU nationals travelling for short stays. This includes passport information, the date and place of entry or exit, facial images and fingerprints where required.

The European Commission says EES had registered more than 150 million entries and exits by early August 2026.

For border security, the system provides important advantages. It makes it easier to identify overstayers, detect identity fraud and maintain accurate records of movements across the Schengen external border.

For travellers, however, biometric registration and verification can add another processing stage at already busy gateways.

Spain Airports Emerge as Major EES Pressure Points

Spain has become one of the most important countries in the EES congestion debate because of its enormous international tourism industry.

Several Spanish airports were identified by Ryanair in July as recurring EES delay hotspots.

These included Tenerife South, Madrid, Lanzarote, Alicante and Málaga.

The problem becomes particularly important during major holiday periods.

Spain receives huge numbers of British tourists alongside visitors from the United States, Canada and other non-EU markets. Many of these passengers are subject to EES when they cross the Schengen external border.

At busy airports, thousands of passengers can reach passport control within a relatively short period. Each traveller requiring registration or biometric verification adds demand to the border-processing system.

For first-time EES users, the process can involve passport-data registration, a facial image and fingerprints.

Later journeys can be easier because the traveller already has an EES record, but identity and border checks still apply.

Tourists should therefore build additional passport-control time into journeys involving Spanish airports, particularly when travelling during peak periods.

Tenerife South Faces Holiday Traffic and Biometric Checks

Tenerife South Airport deserves particular attention because of its dependence on international leisure travel.

The Canary Islands attract huge numbers of British and other European holidaymakers throughout the year.

When large numbers of non-EU passengers arrive within the same period, EES can place additional pressure on passport-control facilities.

This is especially important for departing passengers.

Travellers should not assume that completing airline check-in and airport security means the difficult part of the journey is finished. When leaving the Schengen Area, additional border procedures may take place before passengers reach their departure gates.

This means travellers should follow their airport and airline guidance and allow additional time for passport formalities.

Alicante and Málaga Feel the Pressure of British Tourism Demand

Alicante and Málaga are similarly exposed.

Both airports are major gateways for Spain’s Mediterranean tourism economy and handle substantial traffic from the United Kingdom.

During peak holiday periods, a sudden wave of flights can send large numbers of travellers towards border control simultaneously.

Ryanair specifically included both airports among its recurring EES congestion hotspots in July.

For Spain, the stakes are substantial. Airports are the first and last experience many international visitors have of the country.

If biometric processing repeatedly produces excessive queues, a border-security system can quickly become a tourism-experience problem.

Italy Faces EES Pressure at Milan Bergamo Milan Malpensa and Verona

Italy is another major European tourism market where EES-related congestion has attracted attention.

Ryanair identified Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa and Verona among airports where significant EES delays had been occurring.

Milan Bergamo presents a particularly important example.

The airport handles large volumes of low-cost traffic. Such operations often involve concentrated waves of arrivals and departures, creating considerable passenger volumes within short periods.

Adding biometric border procedures to this environment can increase pressure on immigration facilities.

Milan Malpensa is significant for a different reason. As one of Italy’s leading international gateways, the airport connects the country with numerous destinations outside the Schengen Area.

Verona also illustrates how the issue extends beyond Europe’s largest aviation hubs.

EES capacity is therefore becoming an operational question not only for major capital-city airports but also for regional gateways heavily dependent on international tourism.

Portugal Sees Lisbon Join the EES Delay Hotspots

Portugal has also entered the EES congestion debate, with Lisbon Airport identified by Ryanair among recurring hotspots.

Lisbon is Portugal’s principal international aviation gateway and already handles substantial passenger volumes.

EES introduces another processing requirement for covered passengers entering or leaving the Schengen Area.

UK government travel guidance consequently warns travellers that EES can take additional time and advises passengers to allow more time for immigration controls when departing from Schengen airports.

That warning is significant.

EES delays do not necessarily originate with the airline. Travellers can arrive at the airport on time, clear security and still encounter an unexpected passport-control queue.

France Faces EES Pressure at Paris Beauvais and Cross Channel Gateways

France faces one of Europe’s most complicated EES situations.

At Paris Beauvais Airport, Ryanair has reported recurring EES congestion.

But France’s exposure goes considerably further because French external-border controls also operate at important locations in Britain under juxtaposed border arrangements.

Travellers using Dover, Eurotunnel at Folkestone and Eurostar at London St Pancras complete relevant French border procedures before leaving the United Kingdom.

That means EES can create travel pressure before passengers have even physically entered France.

The arrangement is especially significant for British holidaymakers driving towards France and onwards into continental Europe.

Sea Ports Become a Critical Test for the New Border System

Airports are only one part of the story.

Sea ports and cross-Channel terminals could become some of the most complicated locations for EES implementation because passengers often travel together inside cars and coaches.

An airport processes travellers largely as individuals.

At a ferry terminal, a single vehicle can contain several people requiring border processing.

Multiply that by hundreds or thousands of vehicles arriving for peak ferry departures and the logistical challenge becomes obvious.

This is why the Port of Dover and Folkestone have attracted such close attention.

The UK is outside the Schengen Area, but British nationals making short visits to participating European countries are generally covered by EES.

At Dover and Folkestone, relevant information can be collected before travellers leave Britain.

Dover Faces a Different Kind of EES Congestion Risk

The Port of Dover is particularly sensitive because border congestion can quickly become road congestion.

Passenger vehicles and coaches must travel through a limited physical space before boarding ferries.

If border processing slows, queues can spread beyond the terminal and onto surrounding roads.

Local authorities have long prepared traffic-management measures for periods of serious cross-Channel congestion.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council acknowledges that EES could cause significant delays and notes that regional authorities are working with central government and transport operators to reduce disruption.

The concern is therefore wider than individual passenger inconvenience.

Severe congestion around Dover can affect tourism, local communities, coaches, freight traffic and the wider transport network.

Germany Poland and Hungary Also Join the Airport Delay Picture

EES pressure is not restricted to southern Europe.

Ryanair’s July assessment also identified Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt Hahn in Germany, Kraków in Poland and Budapest in Hungary among recurring congestion hotspots.

This gives the EES story a genuinely Europe-wide dimension.

Germany is one of the continent’s largest aviation markets. Poland has experienced rapid growth in international travel, while Budapest is an important Central European tourism gateway.

The common challenge is passenger volume.

When many non-EU passengers arrive or depart around the same time, passport-control capacity must be sufficient to absorb the additional biometric workload.

Why EES and ETIAS Must Not Be Confused

One of the biggest sources of confusion for travellers is the difference between EES and ETIAS.

They are separate systems.

EES is already operational. Travellers do not submit a conventional EES application before travelling. Their information is registered when they cross an external border, although certain pre-registration options may be available.

ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation system for eligible visa-exempt travellers.

Once ETIAS begins, affected passengers will need an approved travel authorisation linked electronically to their passport before travelling.

ETIAS is not currently operational.

The European Commission says it is scheduled to begin in the last quarter of 2026, with the precise launch date to be officially communicated.

Therefore, describing the current situation simply as an indefinite ETIAS cancellation would be inaccurate. The system has experienced previous delays, but the EU’s current timetable still places its launch later in 2026.

British American and Canadian Tourists Need to Understand the New Border

The changes are particularly important for travellers from countries including the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

These travellers can visit much of the Schengen Area without obtaining a conventional short-stay visa, subject to applicable rules.

However, visa-free travel does not mean exemption from EES.

Covered non-EU short-stay visitors are registered in the system when crossing external borders.

This distinction will become even more important when ETIAS begins.

A traveller could eventually need an ETIAS authorisation before starting the journey and then undergo EES procedures at the border.

The two systems therefore perform different functions.

Travellers Should Allow More Time at Airports and Ports

For travellers heading to Europe in 2026, preparation has become increasingly important.

Passengers should check the latest advice from their airline, ferry company, airport or port before departure.

Those flying out of the Schengen Area should allow additional time to reach their gates because EES border procedures may take place after airport security.

Passengers using Dover, Folkestone or Eurostar should similarly prepare for border formalities before leaving Britain.

There is no single waiting-time figure that applies to every European airport or port.

Conditions depend on passenger volumes, staffing levels, the number of border-control positions available and how many travellers require biometric registration.

Europe Faces a Difficult Balance Between Security and Seamless Tourism

Spain along with Italy and more faces severe delays at airports and sea ports as EES intensifies amid ETIAS postponement in 2026, putting Europe’s new digital-border strategy under an important real-world test.

The EES is now fully operational and has already processed more than 150 million entries and exits. Its objective is to strengthen border security, detect overstayers and identity fraud, and replace an outdated passport-stamping system with digital records.

Yet airports including Tenerife South, Madrid, Alicante, Málaga, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Lisbon, Paris Beauvais, Berlin, Kraków and Budapest demonstrate the operational challenge that can emerge when biometric processing meets peak tourism demand.

Sea gateways such as Dover and Folkestone add another layer of complexity because border delays can rapidly turn into vehicle and road congestion.

Meanwhile, ETIAS remains on hold until later in 2026, rather than operating alongside EES today.

Europe’s challenge is therefore clear. It must deliver stronger digital borders without allowing those borders to become barriers to efficient tourism. For millions of international visitors, the success of EES will ultimately be judged not only by security statistics, but also by how smoothly they can move through Europe’s airports and sea ports.