Suspension of the EES requested as airports face growing problems

They warned that border queues have stretched to several hours, while some flights have been operating half-empty because passengers were delayed at border checks.

In a letter addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, representatives of airports, airlines, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned of what they described as a critical situation at Europe's borders, The Guardian reported.

"We have reached a critical point. Passengers are already being forced to wait for extended periods outside terminals and in open areas because border controls are unable to process arriving travelers quickly enough," the letter states.

The groups warned that airlines are facing the problem of flights departing half-empty because passengers are unable to reach their boarding gates on time due to delays at border checks.

According to the industry associations, waiting times in some cases have reached up to five hours, with some passengers left stranded at airports because of lengthy processing procedures.

They have called on the European Commission to allow airports to fully suspend biometric border checks in July and August whenever passenger volumes exceed the operational capacity of border authorities.

The associations warned that border agencies, airports, and airlines are under "unsustainable pressure" and urged immediate action to prevent the situation from deteriorating further during the peak summer travel season.

The letter also states that some international travelers are considering cancelling trips to Europe because of the lengthy delays, which, the associations argue, is damaging the reputation of European tourism and connectivity.

The industry groups further proposed that temporary suspensions should be allowed to continue beyond September in exceptional circumstances until the system becomes operationally reliable and sufficient staffing is in place to support its implementation.

They also stressed that both the European Commission and EU member states must take into account the realities on the ground and the challenges facing the aviation sector in the coming weeks.

The new system, which has been gradually rolled out since October last year, requires non-EU nationals to register their fingerprints and have their photograph taken upon arrival, the British newspaper explained.

However, the rollout has already encountered problems. Greece has temporarily suspended biometric checks for British travelers until September to avoid disruptions during the summer season.

In May, French authorities also temporarily suspended the additional checks at the Port of Dover, while last week the management of Rome's airport warned that the system for non-EU nationals might have to be suspended to prevent chaos during the peak summer travel season.