The EU's new biometric border check system is facing a crisis of its own making, with airlines and airports calling for its suspension during the peak summer holiday period. The system, introduced last October, requires non-EU citizens to register with fingerprints and a photograph at their destination airport, but its rollout has been plagued by problems. Greece has already suspended biometric checks for British travellers until September, and French police temporarily suspended the extra checks at the port of Dover in May. The head of Rome's airports has also warned that the system will have to be suspended for non-EU citizens to avoid a disaster over the summer. The industry groups ACI Europe, Airlines 4 Europe, and the International Air Transport Association have written to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, urging an option to suspend checks during July and August. They argue that the system is under unsustainable pressure, with passengers facing queues of up to five hours and airlines facing half-empty planes at gate closing time. The groups also call for flexibility to continue suspending checks from September, when the rules allowing some flexibility to skip checks are due to be phased out, under clearly defined exceptional circumstances. European airports are expected to handle approximately 40 million more passengers in July and August than the previous two months, and the groups warn that the commission and member states must take stock of the current situation and the challenges ahead. The ability to suspend the new border checks is seen as crucial until there are enough staff to make the system work and automated kiosks are sufficiently reliable. This crisis highlights the need for careful planning and consideration of the impact of new systems on the travel industry, especially during peak periods. It also raises questions about the balance between security measures and passenger convenience, and the potential for reputational damage to the EU and European tourism if the situation continues to deteriorate.
