Another week, another headache for the British traveller. The aviation industry has fired a warning shot across the bows of anyone planning a summer getaway to the EU. Three hours early. That is the new advice from the boss of a major UK airport operator. A stark reminder that Brexit is still very much a festering wound for the holidaymaker.
The warning, delivered in a tone that suggested a man tired of being the bearer of bad news, comes from the CEO of the group that runs several key regional airports. He briefed the Transport Select Committee. The message was blunt. The EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is a ticking time bomb for queues. The system, which will require fingerprint and photo checks for non-EU citizens, is due to launch later this year. The industry is not ready. The government is not ready. And the passenger will pay the price.
This is not scaremongering. This is the sound of a system creaking under the weight of political failure. The EES is not new. It was conceived years ago. But the technical preparations, the staffing, the infrastructure at ports and airports. It is all behind schedule. The aviation boss told MPs that he expects “significant disruption” at the border. He used the word “chaos”. Off the record, his colleagues are using stronger language.
The Home Office, to its credit, insists it is working “at pace” to mitigate the risks. But “at pace” is Whitehall code for “we are worried sick.” Whitehall sources confirm that contingency planning is in a state of near-permanent crisis. The problem is not just technology. It is the sheer volume of passengers. Pre-pandemic levels of travel are back. The summer peak will test the system to destruction.
For the political class, this is a gift for the opposition. Labour is already sharpening its lines. They will say that leaving the EU was bad enough. The botched implementation of the new border controls is a symbol of incompetence. The Conservatives will counter that the EES is an EU scheme, not a British one. But that argument wears thin. The government signed up to it. It had years to prepare.
Behind the scenes, the battle is over who will be blamed. The Home Office insists the EU has been slow to share technical details. The EU says it has provided all necessary information. The airports blame the government for not funding the required infrastructure. The government blames the airports for dragging their feet. It is a circular firing squad.
And what of the passenger? They will stand in line. They will miss flights. They will rage on social media. The travel industry will take a financial hit. The whole episode is a depressing microcosm of post-Brexit Britain: barely functional, politically toxic, and deeply inconvenient.
One thing is certain. When the chaos hits, the headlines will be brutal. The government will blame the EU. The EU will blame the UK. And the rest of us will be left wondering why no one saw this coming. Because they did. They all did. And they did nothing.
