Long queues at Brussels Airport for non-European passengers

Non-European passengers have faced queues of up to five hours at Brussels Airport, mainly due to IT problems with the European Entry/Exit System (EES).

The EES procedure has required checks on passengers entering the Schengen Area since 12 October. In particular, it provides for the recording of biometric data of third-country nationals entering the area.

But the system has led to long queues at many airports across the continent, including Brussels Airport, which described the hours-long waits as “too long”.

Until last April, passengers from certain non-European countries such as the US, Canada, Japan and South Korea were able to pre-register via EES kiosks before proceeding to the automatic gates, as holders of a European passport are already able to do.

But this is no longer the case, meaning that a greater number of passengers must now pass through staffed checkpoints, leading to longer waiting times.

Brussels Airport attributes last week’s exceptionally long waiting times to IT issues with the EES system.

The use of e-gates in conjunction with the EES pre-check-in kiosks is currently being tested so that, in the long term, passengers from certain non-European countries can use them again.

Additional police officers are also currently being trained to ensure sufficient staffing levels at border control points, and the need for additional infrastructure is currently being assessed.