Travellers from the UK could find themselves getting stuck on planes as chaos ensues on airports.
The British tourism industry is raising alarms over potential chaos at European airports once the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is introduced.
Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, has voiced concerns that UK travellers could find themselves stuck on planes after landing at EU destinations, such as Mallorca, due to overcrowded terminal buildings.
Speaking at the annual convention of travel trade organisation Abta, Lundgren said that under the worst-case scenario, airlines may be forced to keep passengers on board because airport terminals are too congested to handle more travellers.
“In the worst case you actually can’t disembark, you hold people on the plane,” Lundgren explained.
He warned that the new system, which will require non-EU visitors to undergo fingerprint scans and have photographs taken, could cause significant disruption.
The EES, set to launch on November 10, will register travellers from non-EU countries like the UK when they enter the bloc, with their data stored for up to three years.
Lundgren argued that without measures allowing passengers to pre-register before travelling, the new procedures could overwhelm airport processing systems.
“We have to think about what can actually happen,” he stated, urging EU authorities to consider delaying the EES rollout if necessary.
This new system has raised concerns within the UK tourism industry, with fears that British tourists, already subject to longer queues post-Brexit, could face even more delays when travelling to popular EU destinations.
