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Non-European travelers wait up to three hours at Brussels Airport
Travelers arriving from outside Europe faced queues of up to three hours at border control at Brussels Airport on Thursday because of the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System. European citizens generally waited 30 to 60 minutes at automated passport control points, while additional police officers deployed during peak hours were unable to prevent delays.
Travelers arriving from outside Europe faced waits of up to three hours at border control at Brussels Airport on Thursday because of the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System and congestion caused by the return from holiday travel.
Brussels Airport spokesperson Jeffrey Franssens confirmed that travelers arriving from outside Europe waited in queues lasting three hours upon arrival. European citizens, meanwhile, generally completed the process within 30 to 60 minutes by using automated passport control gates.
New system requires biometric registration
The main cause of the delays is the Entry/Exit System, which digitally records non-European nationals entering and leaving the Schengen Area. The system replaces physical passport stamps with biometric checks such as fingerprinting and facial scanning.
Franssens said the new registration process requires more steps and time per passenger, causing waiting times to increase rapidly during busy periods.
Additional staff unable to handle congestion
The Belgian government assigned additional Aviation Police personnel so that all existing control points could operate ahead of the summer season. However, the airport said the additional staff were insufficient to eliminate delays during periods of heavy passenger traffic.
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