New EU Entry-Exit System causes airport bottlenecks as Krakow and Warsaw report three-hour queues

EU Entry/Exit System (EES) causes 3-hour queues Krakow and Warsaw airports

Travelers arriving at Kraków and Warsaw airports are facing wait times of up to three hours following the full implementation of the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES).

The delays are primarily linked to the new requirement for non-EU nationals to register facial images and fingerprints upon their first entry into the Schengen Area under the finalized system rules.

According to a report by The Guardian, the surge in waiting times has led to missed flights and significant congestion at border control points.

While the system aims to modernize border security, the initial "enrolment wave" has overwhelmed existing infrastructure during peak travel periods.

EES implementation challenges in Poland ahead of ETIAS

The Polish Border Guard previously confirmed that all 71 air, land, and sea checkpoints—including those at Warsaw-Chopin and Kraków-Balice—are now fully equipped with biometric kiosks. However, the European Commission noted that while individual registration is intended to take approximately 70 seconds, the cumulative effect of thousands of first-time registrations has created a "bottleneck" effect.

Regarding the wider EU rollout, Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE, says in an official statement:

"While we will continue to closely monitor developments in the coming days, it is already evident that greater flexibility is immediately needed." Industry leaders are now calling for border authorities to be allowed to temporarily suspend biometric capture when queues become excessive to prevent total airport paralysis.

What this means for travelers to Europe

If you are a non-EU citizen (including travelers from the UK and USA) traveling to Poland, you should arrive at the airport at least three to four hours before your flight. The first time you enter the Schengen Area under these rules, you must provide your biometrics at a dedicated kiosk.

Less than three weeks after the European Union's Entry/Exit System (EES) went fully live on 10 April, passengers are finding that the promised 'fast biometrics' experience can be anything but.

While the system was designed to streamline border crossings, reports of EES launch biometric glitches at the UK-France border at the beginning of April have set a concerning precedent for the delays now surfacing across the continent.

The EES implementation serves as the critical technical stress test before the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) begins its rollout in the final quarter of the year.