The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a warning for Britons traveling to Copenhagen Airport in Denmark, citing significant delays at passport control. The queues have been building up over recent days, causing hours-long waits for passengers arriving from non-Schengen destinations, including the United Kingdom.
FCDO Advisory Details
In a statement released on Sunday, the FCDO confirmed that embassy staff are in discussions with Danish authorities to manage the pressure. The advisory recommends that passengers with accessibility requirements, those needing assistance (such as with very young children), or travelers with tight flight connections should make themselves known to airport staff in yellow vests who are monitoring the queue. For those departing from Copenhagen to the UK and other non-Schengen destinations, the FCDO advises allowing extra time to account for queues at passport control.
EES Border Check System
The extended waiting periods come weeks after the full implementation of the EU's Entry and Exit System (EES) at Copenhagen Airport, following a gradual rollout last October. The system requires non-EU passengers entering the Schengen Area—including UK passport holders—to provide fingerprints at border control. The EES has been over 12 years in the making, facing repeated delays before its introduction.
Wider Disruption Across Europe
The EES has triggered disruption across Europe, with the UK also affected. Last week, lengthy queues formed at the Port of Dover, leading to the suspension of new border checks amid concerns for drivers stuck in sweltering bank holiday heat. Holidaymakers endured waits of several hours on Friday, with similar chaos on Saturday. French authorities suspended the additional EU border checks under EES to alleviate the backlog, and passengers who missed their ferry due to queues were allowed to travel on the next available sailing at no extra cost.
The Airports Council International (ACI) reported last month that airports in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Greece were also facing waits of several hours at border control points. Olivier Jankovec, director of ACI European division, told the Financial Times that the situation is "simply unmanageable" during peak summer months. Last week, the boss of easyJet urged European member states to be more flexible and avoid long queues, stating that it is "inexcusable" for customers to wait due to a lack of preparation since 2017.
