Thousands of flights recently had to be delayed because EU border controls are significantly understaffed to comply with tightened immigration checks — some passengers even missed their flights, association Airlines 4 Europe complained yesterday (Read article). During this busy summer travel season, airline travellers have become victims of the disproportionate impact that the implementation of a new EU Regulation is having on the flow of traffic at European airports. The regulation relates to the reinforcement of checks against relevant databases at external borders.
To press agency Belga Brussels Airlines confirmed the increase in queues at Brussels Airport since April. “We are hoping for a solution from the federal police. Security checks run smoothly but there is a problem with the immigration service. “Long-haul flights are delayed by up to 45 minutes because passengers do not arrive in time at the boarding area.”, Brussels Airlines confirmed.
The federal police replied that they are working on a solution. “Brussels Airport is an important transit airport with many departing passengers. We can, for example, use police officers from Bierset and Ostend airports but we are open to other proposals.”, a federal police spokeswomen replied. She added that the new system with the e-gates is recent and that many people are not accustomed to it, which is time-consuming.
Article Le Soir (in French): Des compagnies aériennes se plaignent des longues files d’attente à la frontière à Brussels Airport
