Data Card
Airports Group Warns of Disruption Risk as EU Entry/Exit System Scales Up
ACI EUROPE called for an urgent review of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), citing outages and operational issues that it says could cause disruption as processing volumes increase in early 2026.
2025-12-19CC-BY-4.0border-controlfacial-recognitionfingerprint-recognitionairports
About
Key Facts
- ACI EUROPE says EES began operations on October 12, 2025 and uses facial images and fingerprints to register third-country nationals entering and exiting the Schengen Area.
- ACI EUROPE cites planned increases in the share of travelers processed through EES, including a published target of roughly 35 percent starting January 9, 2026.
- The group cites airport reports that processing times at some locations increased by as much as 70 percent compared with pre-EES baselines.
Card Text
Large-scale biometric border systems can create queueing and safety risks when biometric capture, matching, or downstream infrastructure does not reliably operate at peak throughput.
Sources
- https://idtechwire.com/aci-europe-warns-of-systemic-disruption-risk-as-eu-entry-exit-system-scales-up/
- https://www.aci-europe.org/press-release/573-review-of-schengen-entry-exit-system-urgently-needed-to-avoid-systemic-disruptions-impacting-passengers.html
- https://centreforaviation.com/news/aci-europe-demands-ees-review-as-airport-processing-times-increase-70-1343078