A “perfect storm" of technological transitions, peak demand, and severe weather has plunged European air travel into chaos this week, as per reports by News18.
Hundreds of travellers reportedly remain stranded across the continent as major airlines, including Lufthansa, KLM, and Finnair, struggle to navigate a surge in delays and cancellations
1,720 flight delays and the numbers are rising
Recent operational data states that the scale of the disruption is staggering. In a single 24-hour window, 1,720 flights were delayed and 61 were cancelled across key hubs in the Netherlands, the UK, and Italy.
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The crisis reportedly reached a breaking point at Milan Linate Airport, where an easyJet flight to Manchester was forced to depart with 122 passengers left behind. Despite arriving more than three hours early, the travellers were trapped in passport control queues that reportedly stretched to three hours, with witnesses describing scenes of passengers fainting in overcrowded, sweltering terminals.
New Entry-Exit System (EES)
While staffing shortages and North Sea weather systems have played a role, the primary driver of the current gridlock is the full rollout of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES).
It is a digital border regime that replaces traditional passport stamping with biometric checks (fingerprints and facial scans) for non-EU citizens, including those from the UK.
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The Airports Council International (ACI) reports that processing times have skyrocketed. What used to take seconds now takes minutes per passenger, leading to “unmanageable" queues at major gateways in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Greece.
Aviation bodies are now reportedly calling for the power to suspend EES checks during peak periods to prevent total terminal paralysis.
