Six-hour airport queue warning as millions of Brits head abroad

British holidaymakers heading for European breaks this summer are being urged to brace for airport queues of up to six hours, as new EU border checks collide with one of the busiest travel seasons on record.

New EU border system collides with peak summer getaway

The warning focuses on the European Union’s Entry/Exit System, a biometric border regime that fully came into force in April for non-EU travellers, including UK passport holders. The scheme replaces manual passport stamping with fingerprint and facial image collection on first entry, creating a digital record for every subsequent trip.

Airline and airport industry bodies report that the extra steps have sharply increased processing times at some border posts. Where a straightforward passport check might previously have taken under half a minute, registering travellers under the new system is now taking significantly longer, with knock-on effects when several flights arrive close together.

Early data from airports across the bloc indicates that waits of one to three hours at passport control are already common at peaks in major hubs. Industry briefings suggest that, without further changes, the same infrastructure could be pushed to breaking point as millions of British school holidaymakers, families and package tourists head to Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and other hotspots in July and August.

Analysts note that 2024 saw close to pre-pandemic levels of outbound UK travel to Europe, and demand this year is tracking higher. The combination of near-record passenger numbers, more complex checks and concentrated departure times is raising concerns that long queues could become one of the defining images of the summer getaway.

Why six-hour queues are being treated as a realistic risk

Travel industry briefings in recent days have pointed to a “hard risk” that airport waits could stretch to three, four, five or even six hours at some European border posts if no additional staffing or contingency plans are put in place. The prospect is based on modelling by airline groups and on-the-ground experience from early holiday peaks this spring.

Reports from Italy, Portugal and Spain describe bottlenecks where biometric kiosks have failed, e-gates have been taken out of service or manual booths have not been fully staffed. In one widely reported incident over Easter, passengers at Milan’s Linate Airport faced queues of several hours and dozens of travellers missed onward flights after being stuck in border control lines.

European airport association surveys cited in recent coverage indicate that some terminals which previously reported manageable waits are now seeing queues at passport control push beyond 90 minutes at busy times, with worst-affected facilities already touching or exceeding the three-hour mark. Industry figures argue that it would not take much additional strain for those waits to double again if nothing changes before peak season.

While stakeholders stress that six-hour queues would represent an extreme scenario rather than the norm, they are increasingly being discussed as a realistic upper bound in heavily constrained airports. Travel groups say the aim of current warnings is to push governments and border agencies to act before that scenario is tested at scale.

Millions of UK holidaymakers heading into potential bottlenecks

The alert comes as outbound UK tourism to Europe continues to surge. Recent government and industry statistics referenced in public discussions show that tens of millions of trips from Britain to the continent were recorded last year, with Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Portugal among the most popular destinations.

Package operators and airlines report strong sales for summer 2026, particularly during school holidays and key travel weekends. That means concentrated flows of British passengers funnelling through a relatively small number of airports, ferry ports and rail terminals, especially in Mediterranean resorts and major connection hubs.

Several of those gateways have already featured in reports of long queues linked to the new border regime. Travellers passing through Lisbon, Porto and Faro in Portugal, as well as busy Spanish holiday airports such as Malaga and Palma de Mallorca, have described extended waits at passport control when multiple UK and other non-EU flights arrive within a short window.

For returning passengers, the impact can also be felt at UK border posts when large volumes of arrivals hit at once. Although the new EU system does not apply on entry to the United Kingdom, separate IT outages and pressure on e-gates in recent seasons have contributed to delays, underlining how fragile airport operations can become when passenger numbers, staffing and technology are out of sync.

What airports and airlines are doing to limit disruption

Across Europe, airports and carriers are working on short-term measures to reduce the risk of extreme queues before the main summer exodus. Publicly available statements from airport groups point to efforts to deploy additional staff at busy times, open more manual passport booths and fine-tune passenger flows in arrivals halls.

Some border authorities are seeking to expand the use of automated e-gates or dedicated lanes for pre-registered travellers where local rules allow, although technical limitations and infrastructure constraints mean these solutions are far from universal. Industry sources also highlight continuing work on mobile registration tools designed to speed up the process for repeat visitors once they are fully rolled out.

Meanwhile, airlines are adjusting their messaging and operations. Several carriers with large British customer bases are advising passengers travelling home from European destinations to arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure to allow for possible delays at border control. In some cases, flight schedules and turnaround times are being reviewed to create additional buffers when operating into known pinch points.

Trade bodies representing airports and airlines are also using open letters and policy briefings to urge EU institutions and national governments to consider temporary flexibilities, such as suspending some checks at extreme peaks or prioritising additional staffing for front-line border posts during the busiest weeks.

How British travellers can prepare for a slower airport experience

For holidaymakers, the main practical message is to build in extra time and be prepared for a slower arrival or departure experience than in previous years. Travel planners suggest allowing generous margins when connecting from flights to onward trains, ferries or domestic services, particularly at major hubs where multiple non-EU flights land in quick succession.

Passengers are being encouraged to check advice from airlines and tour operators before travel and to pay close attention to guidance on when to arrive at the airport. Many operators are also reminding customers to have passports, boarding passes and any required documentation ready long before reaching the front of the queue, to help keep lines moving.

Families travelling with children and older passengers may want to factor in the added strain of standing in long queues, including access to water, snacks and any essential medication. Travel insurers are also under scrutiny, as consumer groups point out that policies vary in how they treat missed flights caused by long security or border waits.

Despite the warnings, aviation experts note that not every journey will involve extreme delays, and many passengers are still passing through border checks with only modest additional waiting. However, as the first full summer under the new system approaches, British travellers are being advised to treat the risk of very long queues as part of their planning rather than a remote possibility.