Faced with the risks of massive congestion and interminable queues, the ADP Group is officially asking the European Union to postpone the roll-out of the new input/output system (EES) after the 2026 summer season.
While the new automated border control system in the Schengen area, dubbed the EES (Entry/Exit System), is due to become fully mandatory on April 10, 2026, Paris airport managers are sounding the alarm.
Fear of a “black” summer in terminals
The ADP Group and a number of air transport associations (IATA, ACI Europe) have come to the clear conclusion that the current system is not yet fluid enough to absorb the record passenger flows expected over the summer. According to forecasts, if the system were imposed as early as April, border waiting times could explode, sometimes reaching more than 4 hours in the busiest hubs.
The reason: the complexity of recording biometric data (fingerprints and facial recognition) for non-EU travelers, a procedure that takes much longer than the simple manual stamping of passports used until now.
A request for flexibility from the EU
To avoid paralysis, the airports are asking the European Commission for an «immediate revision» of the timetable. The objective is clear: maintain full flexibility until the end of October 2026.
In concrete terms, this would enable border police to temporarily suspend biometric checks during peak periods to smooth traffic flow, an option that was initially to be restricted from July 2026.
What are the obstacles?
Several factors complicate this deployment:
- Technological problems : Persistent bugs in the pre-registration kiosks have been reported.
- Chronic understaffing : The French Border Police (PAF) are concerned that they may not have enough agents to help travelers use these new tools.
- Infrastructure development : Work to integrate these new control airlocks has not yet been fully completed at all Paris terminals.
What's next for travellers?
For the time being, the European Commission is due to examine this request in March. If this postponement is refused, the ADP Group has already warned that it will use all possible safeguard clauses, such as the “emergency suspension clause”, to guarantee passenger safety and comfort, even if this means delaying the strict application of the European regulation.
The EES system, for Entry Exit System, is aimed at non-EU nationals (except Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the Vatican City State).
parisaeroport.fr/en
This includes travellers subject to a short-stay visa (90 days maximum out of 180 days)* including visa-exempt passengers and those without a residence permit.
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