The countdown to summer travel chaos has begun. British airports have confirmed they are drawing up contingency plans. The cause? A new EU border system. One that could see queues snaking through terminals. Holidaymakers face delays. Not weeks away. Days.
This is not hyperbole. This is the reality of the EU's new Entry/Exit System (EES). It requires non-EU travellers to register biometric data. Fingerprints. Facial scans. Each entry and exit. The Home Office is worried. Whitehall sources tell me they are scrambling for a fix.
Here is what we know. The system goes live this autumn. October 6 is the target date. British airports are not ready. Airlines are not ready. The EU says it is ready. But then, they would say that.
The political game is shifting. This is a grenade lobbed into the Brexit debate. Remainers will seize on it. 'See? The price of leaving.' Leavers will call it EU spite. 'They are punishing us.' Neither is entirely right. But neither is entirely wrong.
I have spoken to a senior aviation source. They told me: 'We are working on mitigation. But if the system fails, there will be queues. Big queues.' The contingency plans are not a cure. They are a plaster. They involve opening more kiosks. Adding extra staff. Maybe even using mobile devices. All to speed up the processing. But do not be fooled. If the system crashes, chaos.
The politics are brutal. The government does not want to be seen as caving to Brussels. But they also do not want to be blamed for ruined holidays. A delicate dance. One wrong step and the headlines are brutal. 'Tory Britain boils as EU border drags.'
The French are also a factor. They control the border at Eurostar and ferry ports. Their cooperation is essential. Without it, we are stuck. The Home Secretary has held talks with French counterparts. I am told they were 'frank and productive.' Diplomatic speak for 'they shouted at each other.'
Behind the scenes, officials are working flat out. Testing the system. Identifying weaknesses. But the clock is ticking. August is the nightmare scenario. The school holidays. Everyone trying to get out. If EES goes live in October, the summer peak is safe. But what about half term? What about Christmas? The problem does not go away.
The EU insists EES will make travel more secure. They are right. It will. But at a cost. Convenience. Speed. And for British travellers, a reminder that the divorce is real. The border is no longer seamless.
Keep watching. I will keep reporting. This is a story that will run and run. Right up to the first day of school holidays. And beyond.
