Brits heading to Spain and the wider EU have been warned they could face longer waits at airports and ports from today.

It comes after a key safeguard designed to ease disruption from the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) expired.

The controversial biometric system became fully operational across the Schengen Area earlier this year, replacing manual passport stamping for non-EU travellers with digital registration.

It means visitors from countries including the UK must have information including their facial image and fingerprints recorded as part of the border process.

But amid serious queues at some of Europe’s busiest airports this summer, authorities had been allowed to temporarily suspend or partially pause EES checks when waiting times became excessive.

That flexibility was permitted only until September 6, meaning the safeguard has now reached the end of its scheduled lifespan.

The aviation industry is demanding that Brussels extend it through the winter amid warnings that the system is still causing significantly longer processing times.

Checks can take 90 seconds

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says a passport check that previously took around 20 to 25 seconds can take closer to 90 seconds under EES.

While the difference may appear small for an individual passenger, the additional processing time can rapidly create queues when several large international flights arrive at once.

Thomas Reynaert, IATA’s senior vice-president of external affairs, said the summer had exposed areas where ‘operational challenges remain’.

He called for the possibility of partial suspension to be extended through the winter season, alongside faster pre-registration, greater investment in infrastructure and staffing and improved cooperation between authorities and the travel industry.

Reported waiting times at some major European airports increased substantially during the summer.

Frankfurt reportedly recorded average waits of 120 minutes in July, compared with 60 minutes during the same month last year.

At Munich, average waits reportedly rose from 31 minutes to 60 minutes, while maximum waits at Amsterdam Schiphol increased from 80 to 120 minutes.

Ryanair brands rollout a ‘shambles’

Ryanair has launched a particularly fierce attack on the EU’s handling of the system and is demanding that the derogation be extended until at least April 2027.

Chief operating officer Neal McMahon branded the handling of EES a ‘shambles from start to finish’, claiming airlines, airports and border authorities had repeatedly warned Brussels that the system was not ready.

He said the industry had warned that EES would increase processing times and create excessive queues, but claimed those concerns had been ignored.

The airline is now calling on the European Commission to urgently extend the flexibility which allowed EES processing to be eased during periods of serious disruption.