Millions of British holidaymakers facing nightmare at airports and Channel ports due to new EU checks

Published: 23:22, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 23:28, 24 July 2026 Holidaymakers dreaming of a quick start to their summer holidays abroad are facing a nightmare at airports and Channel ports thanks to bungling bureaucrats in Brussels. Millions of Britons looking to get away at the start of the school summer holidays are waiting for hours because of new European Union border checks. Despite being rolled out in April, the Entry Exit System (EES), which checks Britons’ fingerprints before they go on holiday, is not running properly, with bosses at Dover and Heathrow fearing for the worst. The new system is meant to record passengers passing through border security by scanning their passport photograph and fingerprints – but there are delays. Doug Bannister, chief executive of Dover Port, warned that a repeat of a ‘critical incident’ in May when 8,500 drivers were held for hours was likely this weekend. In a meeting with MPs earlier this year, Mr Bannister said border controls would ‘face repeated episodes of severe congestion’ unless EU bosses changed the rules. And with 6.3million drivers planning to take to the road in the coming week, and tens of thousands expected to head for the Channel Tunnel, waiting times are already growing. Meanwhile, a new yellow weather alert was in place last night as temperatures are due to reach highs of 30C (86F) in south-east England. Ferries are also being held up by an hour at Dover due to border delays. Meanwhile the EES checks at Heathrow are also delaying holidaymakers, with chief executive Thomas Woldbye telling The Standard: ‘The system is not working as fluently as it should be doing, and the EU needs to take responsibility for that.  British holiday makers queue at passport control in Rome, Italy Despite being rolled out in April, the Entry Exit System (EES), which checks Britons’ fingerprints before they go on holiday, is not running properly 'We are, of course, encouraging both the UK government and the EU to make this as flexible as all possible. Nobody wants to stand in a long queue getting into and starting their vacation.’ But Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has warned passengers that the airline ‘will not wait for anybody’ caught in lengthy border queues, saying flights will depart regardless. The new checks – which are seeing delays of three hours – are also causing chaos at airports in Tenerife, Palma, Alicante and Malaga, Milan, Krakow and Paris.