The British tourist industry has long voiced its concerns about the new EU entry and exit scheme and now there are fears that UK travellers risk being stuck on planes after arriving at European Union (EU) airports such as Mallorca once new border checks have been introduced, according to the boss of easyJet, who has a house and a share in a business on the island.
Chief executive Johan Lundgren said airlines being unable to disembark passengers because of congested terminal buildings is a “worst case” consequence of the Entry/Exit System (EES). The EU Commission announced in August that EES would be launched on November 10, although a further update is expected to be made tomorrow, Thursday.
Under EES, travellers from non-EU countries such as the UK will need to have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken to register them on a database when they enter a member state, with the data stored for three years. In an interview at the annual convention of travel trade organisation Abta Lundgren said it is possible EES will cause airport terminals to be congested with arriving passengers waiting to be processed, leaving no room for additional travellers.
“In the worst case you actually can’t disembark, you hold people on the plane,” Lundgren warned. He said: “We have to think about what can actually happen.” Lundgren predicted “there will be some disruption” from EES as “it is a new procedure”. He called for the launch to be further delayed unless it is possible for travellers to pre-register before beginning their journeys.
13 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
BeachcomberIs disinformation a hobby for you? Or are you getting paid for it? Or just wishful thinking? Lost their autumn tourism business? Really? Where do all these tourists currently found in the supermarkets, shops, markets, wineries, bars and restaurants come from, if autumn tourism is lost? Go to the airport. Every couple of minutes, another planeload lands. As evening sets in, you'll see a constant line of landing lights in the sky. Usually 3-5 in line. Until about midnight, when it slows down. I doubt they're empty. And they're not all residents. And they're not the Brits that aren't coming anymore because by of EES. After all, it hasn't yet been implemented, and doesn't apply to the vast majority of tourism here anyway. You could be forgiven for not knowing better, but you should. Historically, Brits generally stop coming around this time of year, and the hotels, bars and restaurants in Magaluf and Calas de Mallorca normally start preparing to (or have already) shut down for the winter. Perfectly normal. ??
BeachcomberThe autumn lost , but it might save the spring season. Johnson the commissioner responsible has , conceded a staged approach may be necessary. Where this leave the Lisa waiver…? So it’s rubber stamp continued. At this rate I’m gonna run out of pages …😉
Good news for travellers to Majorca, the unwanted scheme has been postponed indefinitely as stated by the EU last night. If countries like Germany, France and Holland were nowhere near prepared, then certainly the other countries taking part would not have been also. According to the EU minister responsible who two weeks boasted about it coverage and effectiveness was forced to concede last night that it legal status or otherwise had not been cleared, neither had a live test taken place between member states. An omnishambles of the greatest intensity, so the scrap heap and bin the best place for it. Meanwhile places like Majorca have lost their autumn tourist business as due to not wanting to get caught up in the chaos Brits and other tourists have booked for Turkey and Morocco with easy entry on arrival. This fiasco has cost billions and the EU master’s continue to line their pockets.
Ulla JacksonProbably, but here! 😳
Typical MDB scare mongering. They obviously haven't heart its been shelved until Dev at the earliest!!!!
We landed in Mallorca on an EasyJet flight at night back in June and we could not disembark as they apparently they could not disembark there passengers due to hold up's guess were? When the coach eventually turned up it could only unload half of the passengers we ended up waiting for over an hour on the plane to disembark?
Ulla JacksonWell in a report on euro news today , it seems another delay is inevitable. France, Germany, Nederland’s have informed the commission they won’t be ready. System IT Integration issues , not surprisingly , to airports floors not being strong enough to house the extra equipment weight. The U.K. isn’t exactly renowned for its government IT systems but at least its one territory, as is the USA , which the European system is often compared. But the USA has large relatively and few points of entry airports and marine and established road crossing. Europe 27 plus 4 additional Schengen, with numerous ports , airports and land crossings in each nation. That’s a system integration challenge of a complete new order.
Well if that happens, it won’t last long. The carriers will drop the routes, as it’s not economically viable with that level of delay. Uk budget carriers rely on two out two back daily duty on the aircraft, with one hour turnaround. Delays will destroy that cost structure. Even higher fares wouldn’t compensate for that disruption. USA business, which from my experience of two visits to the island this year , seem to be at 10% of guests, at the hotels I stayed in. I can’t see United acceptance of that cost. Time will tell , but my experience of Palma immigration machines last week , I’m not confident.
From what I am reading, it may well be easier for my dog to enter Europe, rather than myself from November. I plan to enter Europe via the Channel Tunnel next year, and have a pleasant drive through France before coming over to Mallorca, and avoid Palma Airport.
For your information the UK will introduce equivalent system in the spring 2025 at a cost of £10. Wonder if the noise will be as big when that happens despite not ruled by EU.