Greece relaxes Euro biometric border entry rules amid airport chaos

Missed flights and more means something has got to give at the border
On 20 April, the Hellenic Police said it had started to fully deploy EES and Greece will use all necessary measures to manage traffic at border crossings in accordance with the regulations.

The UK government updated its travel advice on the same day: "Greek authorities have indicated that they will not collect biometric data (fingerprints and photos) for UK travellers as part of EES" although passengers should "follow the advice of authorities on the ground".

The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder said EES regulations allow flexibility to suspend biometric data collection at specific places for limited periods of time, yet the European Commission does not expect blanket exemptions for citizens of specific countries for extended periods.

EES went live in October last year, causing launch-day queues at Prague's international airport.

Many countries phased it in, but its use became compulsory on 10 April.

Since then some Brits have missed flights due to border control delays caused by the system, including around 100 passengers due to take an Easyjet flight from Milan Linate to Manchester on 12 April and a smaller number trying to travel with Ryanair from Milan Bergamo to Manchester on 16 April.

"The issues some passengers have experienced are unacceptable and so we continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed, so our customers' travel plans are not impacted," Easyjet said in a statement.

The airline will transfer passengers delayed by EES to other flights it provides for free, something it offered to a Register staffer and his family when they were delayed trying to fly from Paris to London Gatwick on 10 April.

As replacement flights were not available until 15 days later, our vulture decided to catch a Eurostar instead.

Airport operator group ACI Europe and Airlines for Europe, which includes Easyjet, Ryanair and British Airways parent company International Airlines Group, said some passengers have waited two to three hours due to the system.

"Border control authorities must be allowed to fully suspend the EES when waiting times become excessive," said the heads of the two organizations .

"This is essential not only in the coming weeks, but throughout the peak summer travel season."
As of 10 April, the European Commission said that EES had registered more than 52 million entries and exits, refused entry to more than 27,000 individuals (about 0.1 percent of those trying to enter) and identified more than 700 as security risks.

The EU has built a Travel to Europe app allowing those required to use EES to undertake some of the process in advance.

However, so far only Sweden and Portugal are accepting its use.

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