Biometric checks stalled again for cross-Channel travellers

Passengers crossing the Channel from the UK to France will not face new biometric checks in the coming weeks, despite an imminent deadline for the complete implementation of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), ports say.Airlines and airports across Europe have feared chaos over the Easter holidays.The EU will officially demand biometric information from all applicable travellers – most non-EU citizens, including Britons – at the border from 10 April. A phased introduction of the system has already caused long delays at some airports.However, it has emerged that passengers on Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle service, cross-channel ferries, or Eurostar will not encounter any changes, owing to delays in France’s developing the technology needed to collate and process the biometric information.Sources at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel said France had not yet provided them with the technology.Wet-stamping of passports will continue at the French border, which is located in England for outgoing cross-Channel train, Shuttle, and ferry passengers. Only lorry drivers, coach passengers and ferry foot passengers, who have been checked by French border officials since November, will undergo the EES formalities.Despite the latest apparent stalling of the system, the EU’s websites still state that after 10 April visitors to the Schengen Area must provide biometric information on entry. Home Office advice issued last week told UK travellers to allow more time for checks. However, Eurostar and Eurotunnel said passengers should continue to arrive at the time stated on their travel ticket.EES was introduced in October in a phased launch, years later than planned, but its rollout has varied at borders across Europe. At some airports, including Lisbon and Brussels, passengers have experienced hours of delays, with border officials insisting on biometric checks, including fingerprinting and facial IDs. Other airports have installed machines that have yet to be used.Getlink, which owns Eurotunnel, has invested at least £60m in kiosks at Folkestone and Coquelles in France to ensure the Shuttle was ready for the opening on EES last autumn, while Eurostar spent about £10m at London St Pancras for automated kiosks that remain sealed off.The Port of Dover has reshaped its road layouts and built new structures ready for EES. A spokesperson said the port was “working closely with our French border agency partners to ensure a smooth introduction of EES for tourist passengers, which includes waiting until current issues with the French technology are resolved and thorough testing at Dover has been conducted”.Eurotunnel said EES would “take a further operational step on 10 April with the Police aux Frontières beginning the creation of EES files”, but added: “This stage will not involve biometric data collection.” A spokesperson said LeShuttle customers would not see any change.Eurostar said it was “working closely with the French and EU authorities as they continue to introduce the next stages of the system”. It added that “enrolments are currently being completed manually by French border officers in London St Pancras”. It has added extra lanes at the border but said its focus was “in line with the authorities’ priority to maintain border fluidity as the rollout progresses”.The EU has told border officials they can exercise discretion to relax the rules if queues build up, until at least the end of July.Nonetheless, European airlines and airports are still anxious about the scaling up of EES during the holiday period.The trade bodies A4E, which represents most large European airlines, and ACI Europe, representing airports, issued a joint statement this week citing “persistent operational challenges” and predicting that passengers would face increasing delays from Easter. They called on the European Commission to continue to allow full suspension of EES if needed, arguing that long border queues were being the norm and were undermining air travel.Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of Europe’s biggest airline, Ryanair, said EES was causing queues of up to four hours at some airports, describing the system as “a shit show and a shambles” and a punishment for Brexit. He said the EU should postpone the full introduction until October.The European Commission was approached for comment.