'Arrive three hours early at EU airports' Brits told amid biometric delay misery

British holidaymakers are being urged to factor in additional time at European airports ahead of their return journeys due to significant hold-ups stemming from biometric security measures. Wizz Air boss Yvonne Moynihan has cautioned travellers coming back from EU destinations to get to the airport three hours prior to their scheduled departure times, citing worries over the new border procedures. The EU's entry-exit system (EES) has now superseded traditional passport stamps with digital registration, which includes biometric verification conducted upon arrival and departure for all non-EU nationals. The EES has been phased in throughout Europe since October of last year, but only reached full implementation last month. Following this, travellers have documented substantial queuing times at immigration control. Only last week, French police temporarily lifted the EES checks at Dover port to release thousands of holidaymakers stuck in extensive queues during sweltering conditions, reports the Mirror . Speaking to the BBC , Ms Moynihan explained: "Because there is another passport check ... that's where we see that people have, again, experienced longer waiting times than anticipated." While standard guidance suggests arriving two hours before departure, she noted that "in these circumstances, we are advising three hours". The implementation of these new protocols has been "fragmented across Europe", she added, with certain EU nations experiencing "seamless travel" while at the other end of the spectrum, there have been lengthy queues and disruption at "usual hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France". "When you land in the destination airport, there might be queues, so you should bring a portable charger or water," Moynihan advised, as her airline issues general guidance to British passengers travelling from EU destinations. For travellers with onward connections, she recommended allowing several hours between flights. Her remarks follow a warning from the European airports association ACI Europe, which reported queues stretching to an astonishing three-and-a-half hours during busy periods, according to research carried out at 45 airports across 20 EU member states on May 26. "Airports which previously did not report excessive waiting times are now doing so despite the extensive use of partial suspension of EES," the organisation stated in a statement to Travel Weekly. Nevertheless, the European Commission informed the BBC that the EES was not the only factor that can cause delays at the border, noting that information may only take around a minute to register. Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source.