Call to suspend new EU border system during busy holidays

Airlines and airports are asking the EU to temporarily stop its new border check system during the busiest summer travel times. They say some flights are leaving with many empty seats because passengers are stuck in very long queues. These queues can be up to five hours long for the new biometric checks.

Industry groups have written to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. They want permission to stop the new checks during July and August. They are worried that the situation will become much worse as more people travel for holidays.

The groups, including ACI Europe and Airlines for Europe, say the situation is very serious. Passengers are already waiting outside airport buildings for a long time. This is because the border control staff cannot check people fast enough.

This means airlines are flying with half-empty planes, and passengers are stuck in the border queues. Some planes have been delayed while waiting for passengers. Other passengers have even been left behind because the plane had to leave on time.

The groups want airports to be allowed to stop these checks completely when passenger numbers are too high for the border control to manage. They believe this is needed urgently to prevent further problems during the peak summer travel season.

The new system, which started last October, requires non-EU citizens to provide fingerprints and a photo. However, it has had many problems. For example, Greece has already decided to stop these checks for British travellers until September to avoid travel chaos.

Some travellers are now thinking twice about visiting Europe because they are worried about the long delays at borders. The industry groups warn that this is harming Europe's reputation and its tourism industry.