Passengers at Brussels Airport faced hours-long queues on Monday due to the new European border control system, Brussels Airport spokesperson Jeffrey Franssens told The Brussels Times.
Non-EU passengers arriving at the airport in Zaventem spent up to four hours waiting at passport control on Monday morning, while those departing the country faced queues of up to one hour at border control.
EU passengers, meanwhile, only had to wait between 10 and 15 minutes at passport control, according to Franssens.
The spokesperson said delays were linked to new border controls introduced under the European Union's Entry/Exit system (EES).
What is the EES?
The digital border control system was gradually introduced starting in October last year to register non-EU nationals travelling to and from Schengen countries. Under the system, information such as passengers’ biometric data, including fingerprints, is recorded.
EU officials hailed the new system, which replaces traditional passport stamps, as a faster and more efficient way to conduct border checks while increasing security within the Schengen Area.
However, several airports across Europe, including in Portugal and Belgium, have reported significant delays at passport control since the introduction of the system, which was expected to be fully implemented across Schengen countries on 10 April 2026.
Problems in Belgium
In Belgium, issues with the European system have been reported for several months.
Back in January, a Brussels Airport spokesperson told The Brussels Times that the rollout of the EES had contributed to border control queues of up to three hours for arriving passengers, increasing the need for staff at passport control.
To address the long queues at Brussels’ main airport, Belgium announced in March that it would postpone the collection of biometric data under the new system, though the other measures remain in place.
The decision was announced by the Federal Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA) and the Federal Interior Minister Bernards Quintin (MR).
However, issues at border control persist in Zaventem, although Franssens noted that the EES’s impact on wait times at passport control varies, depending on how many passengers are travelling on different days.
Staffing issues and electronic gates
In early May, Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist denounced the "completely unacceptable situation" faced by passengers in Brussels.
Feist said at the time that the decision to postpone biometric data collection could alleviate issues throughout the summer, he warned that "total chaos” could ensue if the long queues persist.
The CEO argued that issues could be further prevented by allowing electronic gates to be used for some non-EU passengers, in addition to EU citizens, according to Belga News Agency.
Nonetheless, Feist noted that the airport has been warning "for years” that it is "heading for a crisis” amid ongoing staffing issues at border control.
The CEO called for more flexibility regarding the new border control rules, to prevent long queues that can "pose a safety risk and tarnish Belgium’s image."
The Brussels Times contacted the Federal Police, who are in charge of border control, the European commissioners for transport and migration, and the Federal Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR) for comment, but has yet to receive a response as of the time of publication.
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