Europe braces for holiday travel chaos as border checks collide with IT glitches

Families planning Christmas travel to Europe are facing growing delays at airports, ferry terminals and on major roads as EU border controls tighten and IT issues disrupt operations in major hubs.

Geneva airport has reported swingeing delays for arrivals from outside the Schengen area, with some travelers experiencing up to four hours of wait time as the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is phased in for non-EU citizens. The automated system requires passengers to scan biometrics and travel details at kiosks, a change that has coincided with a spike in queue times and processing delays across several European airports.

The European border landscape is shifting as the EU pushes ahead with the EES rollout. The system, designed to track entry and exit events for non-EU nationals within the Schengen area, has been rolled out in stages and is not yet fully implemented everywhere. Airports Council International warned that waiting times at check-in and exit areas have risen by about 70 per cent, with delays surpassing three hours reported at airports in France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Travel experts say the transition to the new checks requires more resources and planning to avoid bottlenecks at peak travel times.

At the Port of Dover, long queues for outbound traffic are being driven by holidaymaker volumes and intensified border checks. Ferry operator P&O Ferries has urged travelers to allow extra time for journeys, while UK officials cautioned that the changeover period could produce unusually heavy traffic as families head to destinations across the Channel. Transport ministers highlighted that the EU’s phased EES rollout is not yet fully in place, and they urged travelers to check with their operators about potential impacts and arrival times.

On the roads, the RAC estimated 37.5 million leisure car trips in the week leading up to Christmas Eve, underscoring the scale of movement across Europe. Roadside rescue teams and drivers alike have warned that delays could stretch journeys by hours, prompting calls for careful planning and patience during what is forecast to be a record-breaking Christmas getaway for UK-bound traffic and other cross-border routes.

Travel experts have pointed to the timing of the EES rollout as a complicating factor. Paul Charles of the PC Agency said it is never ideal to introduce such a sweeping change during a peak travel period, and that insufficient resources to support the transition have contributed to the current bottlenecks. He noted that while the intention behind the EES is to enhance security and border efficiency, the rollout needs better synchronization with staffing, training and infrastructure upgrades to minimize disruption for holiday travelers.

Officials from the Department for Transport stressed that the situation at Dover reflects a normal level of queue times for the Christmas period, while reiterating that the EES rollout remains a phased process. They advised travelers to verify schedules with their travel operators before departure and to account for potential delays at ports and border points during the holiday season.

The combination of border reforms and IT hiccups has created a challenging travel environment for families trying to reach ski resorts, coastal escapes and other European destinations. While some travelers have reported smoother experiences in certain hubs, the overall pattern in the early holiday window points to persistent delays at check-in, passport controls and border exits. As EU authorities continue to optimize the system, travelers are urged to stay informed of the latest guidance from carriers and border agencies and to plan for longer-than-usual waits.