Paris Airports Seek Delay on Biometric Screening Rollout Until After Summer 2026
Facing potential meltdowns and endless lines, Aéroports de Paris has formally pleaded with the EU to postpone mandatory biometric border controls until after the 2026 summer peak, warning of four-hour waits in core hubs.
Facing the risk of massive congestion and endless queues, Groupe ADP has formally asked the European Union to postpone the rollout of the new Entry/Exit System (EES) past the 2026 summer season.
While the EU’s new automated border-control regime for the Schengen area — the Entry/Exit System (EES) — is currently due to become fully mandatory on 10 April 2026, Paris-based airport managers are sounding the alarm.
The spectre of a ‘black summer’ in terminals
The diagnosis is blunt for Groupe ADP and such air-transport groups as IATA and ACI Europe: the current infrastructure is ill-prepared to absorb the record passenger flows expected during the summer peak. Forecasts indicate that if the system goes live in April, wait times at the busiest gateways could soar beyond four hours at key hubs.
At fault is the slow, multi-step process required to register biometric data (fingerprints and facial recognition) for non-EU travellers — a far more time-consuming procedure than the simple manual passport stamps that are still in use today.
EU urged to add immediate flexibility
To prevent gridlock, European airports are calling on the European Commission for an “immediate review” of the schedule. The request is straightforward: retain carte-blanche operational flexibility until the end of October 2026.
Practically, this would let border police suspend biometric checks during traffic spikes to smooth peak flows — a dispensation originally due to expire in July 2026.
What obstacles remain?
The rollout faces multiple hurdles:
Technology teething troubles: Persistent bugs on the pre-registration kiosks have been reported.
Chronic staff shortages: Frontière Aux Frontières (PAF) officials warn they may lack enough agents to guide passengers through the new system.
Facility upgrades: Works to integrate the new EES gates are not yet complete at every Paris terminal.
What’s next for passengers?
A decision from the European Commission is due in March. If the postponement is refused, Groupe ADP has warned it will invoke whatever safeguard clauses are necessary — including an “urgent-suspension clause” — to ensure passenger security and comfort, even at the cost of delaying strict EU compliance.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) will apply to non-EU nationals — excluding Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the Vatican City State. The scope covers short-stay visa holders (up to 90 days in any 180-day window)* and travellers who are visa-exempt or lack a residence permit.
En tant que chargée de relation client, mes missions sont la gestion et le suivi des demandes de visas. Je reste informée des actualités concernant les nouvelles formalités de voyage ainsi que les spécificités des nouveaux visas.
