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Press resource · Week 3 · 27 April 2026

Three weeks of EES — and the spread is the story.

The FlightQueue Weekly EES Index tracks first-entry biometric wait times across 125 Schengen airports. This page is the live, journalist-facing version of the index — methodology, quotes, and an embed widget you can drop into any newsroom CMS.

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Key findings — Week 3 (21–27 April 2026)

The headline isn't the queues — it's the spread.

Network average — first entry
5 min

Across 125 Schengen airports.

Worst-performing hub
MUC
Munich, Germany

Peak first entry ~25 min.

Fastest major hub
BRU
Brussels, Belgium

First entry ~1 min — 80% below network avg.

  • Self-service kiosks dominate throughput. 123 of 125 tracked airports report self-service EES kiosks. Where kiosks are absent, first-entry waits skew meaningfully longer.
  • Issues are hyper-local. 35 airports currently report a known operational issue affecting EES throughput.
  • Returning travellers are clearing fast. Median ~1 min once biometrics are enrolled — the gap to first-time travellers is the real story.
Editorial quotes — free for editorial use

"Three weeks in, the headline isn't the queues — it's the spread. A first-time traveller arriving at the fastest Schengen hub clears in single-digit minutes. The same traveller at the slowest is waiting more than twice as long."

"EES isn't slow — EES is uneven. That's a planning variable for travellers and an operational variable for airports. We're publishing the picture, weekly, free."

"Kiosk-equipped hubs are clearing first-time arrivals materially faster than staffed-booth airports. The infrastructure delta is the lever — not the policy."

Attribute: FlightQueue (flightqueue.com).

Methodology

How the FlightQueue EES Index is built

  • Sample. 125 Schengen airports across 29 countries. Coverage includes every major hub and the bulk of secondary-city airports.
  • Cadence. Reference values refresh continuously; the editorial weekly index publishes Mondays at 09:00 BST.
  • Inputs. Crowd-sourced traveller reports submitted via the FlightQueue web and mobile apps, cross-checked with airport-published feeds where available, and a baseline set of staffed-booth and self-service-kiosk first-entry estimates per airport.
  • Definitions. "First entry" = a non-EU traveller's first EES enrolment at a Schengen border. "Returning" = the same traveller on a subsequent entry, with biometrics already on file.
  • Exclusions. Airports without inbound non-Schengen traffic; airports not yet operating EES (rare; flagged with status "pending" in the dataset).
  • Caveat. Live tracking began at 2026-04-10 EU rollout. Week-on-week comparisons publish from Week 5 onwards; we won't synthesise pre-rollout baselines.
Full ranking — Week 3

Every Schengen airport we track, ranked by first-entry wait

Live EES border wait ranking

Entering & exiting Schengen, busiest border first.

  • 1
    MUC Munich
    Germany
    25 minlive
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 2h · April 2026
    Germany activated biometric flex mode (suspension up to 6 hrs at peaks); 32,000 EES-wide refusals through May 18 per EU State of Schengen report; Germany among 9 signatories requesting EU flex extension July 7; EU rejected July 8 (iamexpat.de)
  • 2
    CDG Paris
    France
    20 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 0 minpredictedLivePeak: 4h · mid-April 2026 (kiosks ~35% below forecast)
    Kiosk throughput ~35% below forecast; ~12 dedicated EES lanes; Parafe e-gates reopened as a workaround; T2E pre-enrolment pods now launched; EU ruled suspension "not needed" July 8 (The Local) — no relief; 2–4h peak waits at T2E continue into summer
  • 3
    16 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 3 minpredictedLivePeak: 2h 30m · June 2026 (~2.5h arrivals)
    20+ Ryanair pax missed Jun 18 LTN flight due to departure passport mega-queue (AirHelp / ITIJ Jun 2026); ~2.5h arrival queues persist; Greece flex mode: biometric capture pauseable up to 6 hrs; Ryanair called for EES suspension at ATH; EU ruled suspension "not necessary" July 8 (The Local)
  • 4
    9 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · April 2026 rollout week
    Peak biometric suspension authorised; EU activated flex mode May 4; hybrid stamping permitted at peak; Spain's 25-min diversion rule: families/mobility-impaired redirected to manual stamping if queue exceeds 25 min; EU rejected suspension extension July 8 and blamed "local management" (The Olive Press)
  • 5
    5 minlive
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 2h · Apr 2026 morning peak (federal police data)
    Germany activated biometric flex mode (suspension up to 6 hrs at peaks); Fraport redeploying staff to immigration during afternoon Asia-arrival waves; Germany among 9 signatories requesting EU flex extension July 7; EU rejected July 8 (iamexpat.de)
  • 6
    OSL Oslo
    Norway
    4 minlive
    entering
    Exiting: 0 minpredictedLive
  • 7
    3 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 2 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · April 2026
    Manual-stamping fallback triggers at 45-min queue through 30 Sep 2026; ADR CEO warned Jun 25 EES is "incompatible with peak volumes"; Italy among 9 signatories requesting EU flex extension July 7; EU rejected July 8 (Euronews) — suspension risk persists through summer; UK national avg wait tripled from 7→20 min per ADR aviation chief Bassato (The Local Jul 20 2026)
  • 8
    3 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · April 2026 (>100 pax missed a flight)
    Manual-stamping fallback triggers at 45-min queue through 30 Sep 2026; >100 pax missed a flight at peak; ACI Europe identified as severe EES delay hub; EasyJet UK-Milan passengers worst-affected group (VisaVerge Jun 2026); Italy among 9 signatories requesting EU flex extension July 7
  • 9
    ZRH Zurich
    Switzerland
    2 minlive
    entering
    Exiting: 0 minpredictedLivePeak: 2h · May 2026
    Biometric flex mode active since May 2; 8 additional self-service booths now installed; Apr 25 all e-gates simultaneously went offline → 2.5h queues (VisaHQ); Switzerland among 9 signatories formally requesting EU relief July 10 (The Local CH); EU has not granted full suspension
  • 10
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: 2 minpredictedLive
    Airport advises extra time critical for EES; identified as particularly vulnerable due to steady non-Schengen arrival flow and limited backlog-recovery time between waves; Forbes (Jun 2026) noted 30–50% longer waits expected in summer; rover pre-scanners in use to manage queue
  • 11
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 0 minpredictedLivePeak: 5h · July 2026 (up to 5h peak — TravelTourister)
    Loss of e-gate access overloaded manual booths; ~600 missed flights Apr 2026; govt called delays "unacceptable" May 10; airport CEO warned of "absolute chaos" for summer; Jun 9 arrivals hit 4h (BrusselsTimes); 36 new e-gates on order (Brussels Airport press room); EU ruled suspension "impossible" July 7 — no system-wide relief for summer (iamexpat.nl)
  • 12
    VIE Vienna
    Austria
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · 13-14 April 2026 (3h, missed flights)
    Real enrolment runs >2 min/pax; 3-hr peaks caused missed flights on 13-14 Apr; Austria invoked EU flexibility to skip fingerprints during surges; Austria among 9 signatories requesting EU flex extension July 7; EU rejected July 8 (Euronews); full kiosk capacity rollout targeted mid-July
  • 13
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · July 2026 (3h when kiosks fully offline — NPR Jul 11)
    Still 1h+ queues; travellers "resigned to it"; 3h queue when all kiosks failed entirely (NPR, Jul 11 2026); Danish police understaffing lane allocation; facial recognition scanners slower than peer airports; summer volumes worsening
  • 14
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · late April 2026 (3h)
    3-hr peak queues at 1 May 2026 holiday (VisaHQ Apr 30 / iVisa May 1); hardware reliability patchy; queue marshals deployed; automated gates reducing avg processing times ~30% for repeat travelers by May 2026
  • 15
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · April 2026
    Up to 3-hr queues at peak; peak biometric suspension authorised; operators warn of summer gridlock without more e-gates; Spain's 25-min diversion rule active (families/mobility-impaired to manual); EU rejected suspension extension July 8 — summer gridlock risk remains (The Olive Press)
  • 16
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 0 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · April 2026 (UK-only lanes added)
    Up to 3-hr queues; AENA added 10 temporary kiosks + UK-only lanes; peak biometric suspension authorised; flagged summer pressure point
  • 17
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 2h · May 22-23 2026
    2+ hr queues persist into Jun; flagged summer pressure point alongside Palma and Alicante; UK travel industry calls for urgent action
  • 18
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLivePeak: 40 min · January 2026 morning
    Sweden's pre-reg "Travel to Europe" app operational (one of two Schengen states with pre-arrival biometric submission, alongside Portugal) — reducing first-time registration queues; performing better than Mediterranean peers (Wego Jul 2026)
  • 19
    BER Berlin
    Germany
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 0 minpredictedLive
  • 20
    AMS Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    1 minpredicted
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLive
    161 kiosks across arrival filters; extra Marechaussee counters and redesigned waiting areas added; morning wave queues persist; routing restrictions prevent passengers from switching to empty lanes artificially lengthening waits; DutchReview (Jul 6 2026) warns of longer passport queues throughout summer
  • 21
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLive
  • 22
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: 1 minpredictedLive
  • 23
    PRG Prague
    Czechia
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: 0 minpredictedLivePeak: 3h · Dec 2025 crash + Apr 2026 offline kiosks
    System crash during Dec 2025 pilot; offline kiosks at April 10 launch; kiosks failed to sync with EU databases at launch — forced manual collection (VisaHQ Dec 2025); 60 temp border assistants hired and 20 additional kiosks installed; throughput improving — typical current waits 60–90 min (prg.aero)
  • 24
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: 0 minpredictedLive
    Flagged summer pressure point Jun 2026; 1-2 hr queues at peak; kiosk malfunctions force manual fallback; added immigration staff
  • —
    LIS Lisbon
    Portugal
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLivePeak: 4h · Apr 2026 (4h peak; Portugal Post)
    Biometric capture suspended Dec 2025; 4h peak queues Apr 2026 (Portugal Post); Portugal can pause capture up to 6 hrs per peak session; eased to ~60-70 min by Jun 2026 then re-queuing into summer; Portugal launched pre-reg "Travel to Europe" app Mar 27 2026 — second Schengen state with pre-arrival biometric submission (Idealista.pt); inconsistent kiosk availability persists July 2026
  • —
    GVA Geneva
    Switzerland
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLivePeak: 4h · Dec 2025-Feb 2026 (kiosk freezes, worst-hit)
    Repeated kiosk/system freezes; worst-hit airport, advises arriving 4 hrs early; biometric flex mode active since May 2
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLivePeak: 3h · Dec 2025 holiday + Apr 2026 (~1/3 kiosks offline)
    Up to 1/3 of 36 kiosks offline at peak plus border-guard shortage; 3-hr queues at Dec 2025 holiday and Apr 2026 launch; Apr 14 stress test: 3 flights departed with 40%+ pax still queuing (VisaHQ); flex mode authorized to pause checks during surges; Finland planning 70 additional kiosks and multilingual pre-enrolment app
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLivePeak: 3h · April 2026
    Manual-stamping fallback triggers at 45-min queue through 30 Sep 2026
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLivePeak: 3h · late April 2026 (kiosk malfunctions)
    Kiosk malfunctions forced border guards into a phone-photo workaround
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLivePeak: 2h · April 2026
    Manual-stamping fallback triggers at 45-min queue through 30 Sep 2026
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLivePeak: 2h · April 2026
    Hours-long queues during peak flights
  • —
    OPO Porto
    Portugal
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLivePeak: 30 min · June 2026
    Portugal can pause biometric capture up to 6 hrs per peak session; queues down to ~30 min by Jun 2026; extra booths planned
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    SOF Sofia
    Bulgaria
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    VAR Varna
    Bulgaria
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    BOJ Burgas
    Bulgaria
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    PUY Pula
    Croatia
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    BRQ Brno
    Czechia
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataPartial
    No kiosks or e-gates; manual enrolment only, phased flight-by-flight from Jan 2026
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataPartial
    No kiosks or e-gates; manual enrolment only, phased flight-by-flight from Jan 2026
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
    4 dedicated EES lanes
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
    1-2 hr queues at peak; staff shortages and system outages; Ryanair named MRS in France EES suspension request
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
    1-2 hr queues persist; staff shortages and system outages; named by Ryanair in France EES suspension request
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    BRE Bremen
    Germany
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    CHQ Souda
    Greece
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    RIX Riga
    Latvia
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    VNO Vilnius
    Lithuania
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    KUN Kaunas
    Lithuania
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    LUX Luxembourg
    Luxembourg
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    EIN Eindhoven
    Netherlands
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    RTM Rotterdam
    Netherlands
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    FAO Faro
    Portugal
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
    90-min queues persist; Portugal notified EU May 29 of biometric suspension right; up to 6-hr suspensions at peak now authorized for summer
  • —
    FNC Funchal
    Portugal
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
    14 officer-staffed EES control stations
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    IAS Iaşi
    Romania
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    KSC Košice
    Slovakia
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
  • —
    UME Umeå
    Sweden
    Not enough data
    entering
    Exiting: Not enough dataLive
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