Feared summer EES chaos at French airports ‘did not materialise’
Widespread fears of travel chaos over the summer linked to the EU’s new EES system did not materialise at airports, according to a new report which tracks administration-related passenger delays.
The report from Eurocontrol found that French and German airports were the worst affected, but only recorded a slight increase in delays over the busy summer period.
Airlines, along with some airport operators, warned in the spring that EES failures would severely disrupt the smooth flow of air traffic.
The EU’s new Entry & Exit System of passport controls went into effect in April 2026 and requires extra checks for people travelling on the passport of a non-EU country if they are crossing an external EU border.
Ryanair, Europe’s busiest airline, had called it “a botched IT system” and lamented that “passengers are paying the price”.
However, according to Eurocontrol, the predicted disaster did not materialise.
“The results clearly show a limited impact on the network, which has been decreasing throughout the peak summer season,” it states in a report.
Their report covers six Schengen Area countries with high levels of summer air traffic: Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal, and tracks ‘code 86’ delays, which are those attributable to immigration, customs or health authorities.
It found that France and Germany were the worst affected countries – but only saw an increase of 5.3 and 4.2 percentage points respectively compared with July and August of the previous year.
The report also notes that delays were worse in the mornings, with 9am to 1pm being the peak hours for immigration-related delays.
In the six countries studied, “there was a marked deterioration in June, mixed results in July, and some improvements compared with 2025 in August”, Eurocontrol emphasised.
The Eurocontrol report only studied airports – the biggest concerns in France have always been over the ferry and rail crossings from the UK. On these routes, the full implementation of EES has been repeatedly delayed because of a lack of readiness.
Did you travel through French airports from a non-EU country this summer? Share your experience of delays – or no delays – in the comments section below
