EES – Letter from easyJet

Sent by email to all Home Affairs Ministers in the Schengen Area CC: Transport Ministers and key airports

10 April 2026

Dear Ministers, I am writing on behalf of easyJet to share our serious concerns regarding the current implementation of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) at airports across the Schengen area, as the system is now becoming fully operational in time for the 2026 summer travel peak. As a leading pan European airline operating across 37 countries, easyJet carries nearly 100 million passengers annually. Our operations depend on the smooth and reliable functioning of border control processes at Europe’s airports. Disruption at external Schengen borders therefore has immediate and far-reaching consequences for passengers, airports, airlines and national connectivity. We fully support the objectives of EES in strengthening border management and security. However, evidence from across our network — supported by wider airport and airline data — indicates that the system is not yet operationally ready to be implemented without flexibility, particularly during periods of peak demand. In practical terms, the impact is already visible. Up to 4 March 2026, easyJet recorded a year-on-year increase of more than 33% in delays linked to border control processes, highlighting the growing strain on operations even before EES becomes fully mandatory today, the 10th of April. More broadly, data from airports and airlines across Europe shows that waiting times for third country nationals are already reaching up to two hours at peak periods, with longer delays reported at some locations. These pressures are exacerbated by persistent shortages of border control staff in many Member States, ongoing technical and reliability issues affecting EES infrastructure, and the limited deployment of Automated Border Control (ABC) gates for EES eligible passengers. The requirement to register 100% of eligible third country nationals significantly increases the risk of severe and systemic disruption at external Schengen borders. With passenger volumes set to rise sharply over the summer season, this could result in widespread delays, missed connections and a materially degraded passenger experience. Crucially, prolonged and highly visible disruption at borders also risks undermining passenger confidence in travel at the very start of the peak summer season, with wider consequences for tourism, national economies and the reputation of Europe as a whole. Against this background, we respectfully urge you to ask your border authorities and airports to take immediate, short‑term operational measures – alongside longer-term system build-out:

• Actively use the possibility for partial suspension of EES processes from April 10 onwards whenever necessary, anticipating operational disruption before it arises; ensure that these flexibility measures are triggered early and swiftly, rather than reactively, to prevent excessive queuing and cascading delays during peak periods.

• Crucially, ensure the right level of delegated authority is in place at airport level to activate the partial suspension of EES processes at their discretion, in a proactive and preventive manner, where operational conditions require it.

• Encourage airports and border authorities to address avoidable issues including inadequate signage, insufficient queue management and a lack of passenger assistance.

• Ensure sufficient and sustainably resourced border control staffing at airports; • Accelerate the operational deployment and rigorous testing of EES infrastructure, including self-service

kiosks and ABC gates for third country nationals; • Support the wider and coordinated use of EES pre-registration IT solutions.

A pragmatic and highly responsive approach in the coming weeks will be essential to ensure that EES achieves its security objectives without triggering severe delays, widespread disruption or a loss of public confidence in travel. Failure to act decisively risks a visible and avoidable operational and reputational crisis as traffic increases. easyJet remains committed to working constructively with national and European authorities and would welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues further. Yours sincerely, David Morgan Chief Operating Officer, easyJet