ROME — Aeroporti di Roma Chief Executive Marco Troncone stated that Rome's airports might need to suspend the European Union's new digital border system for non-EU citizens to avoid disruptions during the summer travel months. This system, known as the entry-exit system (EES), mandates that non-EU citizens have their fingerprints and facial images collected upon their first entry into the EU.

Troncone said that allowing passengers to bypass the biometric checks under the EES is the only way to prevent travel chaos this summer. He rated his concern regarding the upcoming travel period an eight or nine out of 10. The system was fully implemented in mid-April and has experienced delays attributed to faulty technology.

Troncone explained his position to the Financial Times, stating, "We are very worried for the summer." He added, "The process proves to be incompatible with the peak volumes that we are going to face. So the only way is to open up the valve. There is no way that we can deliver 100% of the enrolment."

Stefan Schulte, president of ACI Europe, a European airports trade body, indicated that individual EU governments hold the authority to suspend the system, not the airports. "Politicians should stop pretending … that EES is working just fine. It is not," Schulte told the BBC.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata), an airline industry group, previously stated that queuing times could reach six hours at some airports during the summer season. Iata also noted that waits of up to three-and-a-half hours have already occurred during peak periods. "Two months in, [the system] is producing long lines, missed flights, and growing alarm across the travel industry," Iata stated.

Uku Särekanno, deputy executive director of the EU border agency Frontex, told an industry event in London that the EES situation might not stabilize for two years. In May, French police temporarily suspended extra EES checks at the port of Dover. Greece revoked a promise to exempt UK travelers from biometric checks until September. Some passengers who have used the EES before are still required to undergo the checks again.