British travellers could face hefty queues over the Easter weekend due to the new biometric system at most European airports, travel experts have warned. Airport associations have called for an "immediate review" into the Entry Exit System (EES) rollout, which will require British travellers to give fingerprints and photos when entering the Schengen Area.

The system has been rolled out in phases, but all 29 Schengen countries are expected to have it fully operational by the week after Easter, on April 10. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airports Council International (ACI) Europe and Airlines for Europe, which represents major carriers, warned that the phased introduction since October "continues to cause significant delays", reports Travel Weekly.

In a letter to the EU commissioner for internal affairs, the groups warned that queues for non-EU travellers could reach four hours or more during the busy summer period in July and August.

It said there had been "persistent excessive waiting times" when only 35% of third-country nationals had to be registered biometrically, due to the phased rollout.

The groups blamed technology issues, understaffing and limited uptake of a pre-registration app, and called on the European Commission to allow member states to suspend the system until the end of October, when it could be more prepared.

ACI Europe reported a 70% increase in processing times at airports last December, when the threshold for registering non-EU travellers' photos and fingerprints was just 10%. It had called for an "urgent review".

The associations warned that non-EU travellers could experience "massive delays" while EU institutions perceive that the Entry Exit System (EES) was working well.

An EC spokesperson has reportedly insisted there would be no further extensions. It added: "Member states may partially suspend EES operations where necessary for 90 days, with a possible 60-day extension to cover the summer peak."

The 90-day period will expire on July 8, and the 60-day extension will end on September 6.

The Foreign Office this week suggested that EES may take each passenger a "few minutes extra" to complete and advised them to "be prepared to wait longer than usual" at the border.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: "EES checks are being introduced in a phased way across external borders, with full operation expected from 10 April 2026."

It will impact travel to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.