European Entry / Exit System (EES) in Estonia

April 17, 2026

Minister Igor Taro Minister of the Interior Pikk 61 15065 Tallinn Estonia

Re: European Entry / Exit System (EES) in Estonia

Dear Minister Taro,

Airlines for America (A4A),1 Airlines UK (AUK)2 Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)3 and National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC)4 on behalf of our members with service to the European Union (EU), write to convey our serious concerns regarding the operational impacts of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) as implementation accelerates across Member States, including Estonia.

While we fully support the objectives of the EES in enhancing border management and travel facilitation, A4A, AUK, ABTA and NACC would like to bring your attention to our alignment with the concerns outlined in the February 10, 2026, Joint Letter from Airlines for Europe (A4E), Airports Council International–Europe (ACI Europe), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Our members’ early operational experience indicates that the real-world effects of EES on border processing times, passenger flows and airport operations may be significantly greater than anticipated—particularly during peak travel periods.

American, Canadian or British airlines operate extensive networks serving major airports in Estonia, transporting millions of passengers annually for tourism, business and family travel. As EES registration requirements continue at 100 percent compliance, our members are increasingly concerned about the system’s feasibility under peak-season summer conditions. While border delays have multiple causes, EES is emerging as a meaningful contributing factor in already constrained border environments.

We have already seen significant disruption to flight issues during the first day of full implementation, April 10, 2026, with passengers missing flights and connections. Early data from certain airports indicate growing processing times and increasingly observing long queues. Without effective mitigation as we continue into the spring and summer travel surge, these

1 A4A’s members are Alaska Air Group, Inc.; American Airlines Group, Inc.; Atlas Air, Inc.; Delta Air Lines, Inc., Federal Express Corporation; JetBlue Airways Corp.; Southwest Airlines Co.; United Holdings, Inc.; and United Parcel Service Co. Air Canada is an associate member. 2 AUK’s members include 2Excel, AirTanker, Ascend Airways, British Airways, DHL, easyJet, European Cargo, FedEx, Jet2, Loganair, Norse Atlantic, One Air, RVL Aviation, Ryanair, Titan Airways, TUI, UPS and Virgin Atlantic 3 ABTA members include the holiday businesses of Jet2, TUI UK, and easyJet Holidays, as well as Eurostar and a wider network of nearly 1,200 travel agencies, tour operators and cruise lines in the UK 4 NACC’s members are Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation and WestJet

conditions risk escalating into sustained delays, missed connections and significant passenger hardship during the 2026 summer season. We are also concerned that while Member States currently retain discretion to suspend EES implementation under prevailing rules, this flexibility is expected to expire in July—at the height of peak summer travel demand—further constraining national authorities’ ability to respond to operational stress. Given the above, we have asked for the Commission’s support:

• To partially and/or fully suspend EES implementation for IATA summer, • Clear communication to Member States on its ability to activate Article 9 of the

Schengen Border Code, • Additional support to maximize efficient use of border self-service equipment and

automation. In addition to the requests outlined in the Joint Letter, we are further requesting Member States to direct their airports as follows:

• Activate partial or total suspension of EES registration at airports that experience repeated periods of wait times that exceed 60 minutes at border checkpoints.

We recognize Member States efforts to address staffing, technology and other resource investments required to smoothly execute EES. Nonetheless, we implore Member States to contemplate the welfare of the traveling customers, the integrity of airport operations and responsibilities under the EU passenger rights obligations in their handling of EES implementation and execution. Our objective is not to delay modernization, but to ensure that EES implementation proceeds in a manner that is operationally viable, proportionate and protective of passenger welfare—while preserving the efficiency and reputation of Estonia’s airports. We remain at your disposal should you require any further information from our organization and would welcome the opportunity to meet with you at your convenience.

Sincerely,

Keith Glatz Senior Vice President, International Affairs Airlines for America

Tim Alderslade CEO Airlines UK

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive Association of British Travel Agents

Jeff Morrison President & CEO, National Airlines Council of Canada