TRAVELLERS from beyond the EU have been bracing for ‘nightmare’ scenarios at European airports since the new digital border control system was gradually rolled out across the continent in October 2025.
But the moment of truth arrived last week on Friday, April 10, when the gently cautious testing phase abruptly ended, and the EES (Entry Exit System) machines were officially turned on at all entries to the Schengen zone.
Fears of delays and confusion were high, as the EES replaces human-controlled passport stamps with automatic facial recognition and fingerprint scans, digitally recording all entries and exits. What could go wrong?
Quite a lot, it seems, as since full implementation five days ago, the system has caused widespread disruption across Europe.
This was particularly notable at Italy’s Milan Linate Airport, where many EasyJet passengers reported vomiting and fainting this week due to lengthy queues and heat.
So, amid all the horror, how did Spain’s airports fare compared to some of their European counterparts?
Early reports suggest significantly better – bar periods of very high footfall, when delays mount as long queues snake back from EES machines.
Here is The Olive Press’s report card on Spain’s busiest airports following the deployment of the system.
Madrid Barajas Airport – A grade
Spain’s first airport to roll out the EES system on October 12, Madrid Barajas has spared its travellers much of the frustration seen elsewhere, early reports suggest.
Several people reported ‘breezy’ experiences, with short queues and priority lines for children, though some warned that the airport’s machines can be slightly ‘sensitive’.
“You have to press down hard on the passport for it to read, press fingertips down firmly to register,” US traveller Adriane Mahnken said.
While some users noted minor delays when multiple flights are scheduled to depart or arrive at roughly the same time, many reports described worry-free experiences.
“From luggage drop-off to gate, it took us about 20 minutes … including biometric capture and passport control,” American Scott Killingsworth said.
Barcelona El Prat Airport – B grade
According to early reports, the EES system at El Prat appears to clog up with lengthy queues at peak hours – though early-morning or late-night flights seem to spare travellers much of the hassle.
One user on Reddit complained of an ‘awful’ experience after standing in line for more than three hours with ‘nowhere to go to the restroom’, as exhausted children cried and airport staff did ‘nothing to help at all’.
However, beyond occasional reports of hair-pulling airport chaos, several passengers described much smoother experiences.
“No issues at all with the EES system, and we had children,” Scot Lynn Esdale said. “But we may have been lucky as our flight was early, at 9:15am.”
Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport – B grade
Scores of passengers have described ‘excellent’ experiences and ‘smooth sailing’ at much-maligned Malaga Airport, with plenty of available machines for biometric scans and average waiting times of between 10 and 20 minutes, according to multiple reports.
British traveller Linda Kearley said she breezed through security and passport control in under 30 minutes despite the airport being ‘packed’ last Saturday.
Another passenger, Brit Steven Thomas, said the system appeared to have made queuing at passport control ‘quicker than usual’.
Similarly to El Prat, however, the system appears to slow down considerably during peak hours, with occasional reports of unmoving queues and waiting times of up to one hour.
One Scottish traveller said on social media he stood in line for ‘at least one hour’ with ‘no staff, no direction, no queue system’ on Wednesday last week.
He also reported machines malfunctioning when cameras picked up the profiles of multiple passengers standing in line.
Malaga Airport was one of the first in Europe to phase in the system, with the initial rollout taking place on October 20 last year. Some disruption has been reported in recent months, especially during periods of high footfall.
Alicante Airport – B grade
Dozens of travellers have reported ‘sailing through’ at Alicante Airport, with friendly staff and well-functioning EES machines.
Several airport users have described ‘fast queues’ for both passport control and EES registration, even during peak hours.
However, Spain’s police union claimed last month that the EES system and a critical lack of staff were pushing the airport to breaking point.
According to a spokesperson for the union, passenger queues have regularly reached 500-strong since the system was rolled out in October.
While the latest reports seemed to point to significant improvements, the union warned that a staggering 80% of the airport’s 130 officers were regularly assigned to frontline passport control duties.
“If these new machines, instead of easing the workload, generate more work, you need more police,” one agent said.
“We might need between 10 and 15 more officers to properly cover all shifts.”
Palma de Mallorca Airport – C grade
Following a slew of incidents as the EES system was phased in over recent months, Mallorca Airport said it would set up a separate lane for British passengers to ease pressure at border control, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported.
But only last Saturday, the hub was singled out as one of the worst-performing in Europe after reports poured in of queues of ‘between two or three hours,’ according to a joint statement from Airports Council International Europe.
To make matters worse, officials at Palma de Mallorca Airport have warned that even EES registration at dedicated kiosks could take ‘several minutes’ per passenger.
Spain’s third busiest airport, Mallorca handles more than 30 million passengers per year, with tens of thousands arriving daily during peak periods.
Tenerife South Airport – D grade
One of the Canary Islands’ busiest airports, Tenerife South has come under significant strain following the EES rollout.
Reports continue to pour in of nerve-racking queues and long delays, with frustrated passengers vowing to give up visiting the island in the future.
Brit Vik Norton, from Wigan, said Tenerife Airport ‘seems to be the worst under the new EES rules’.
“We have been coming to Tenerife three times a year for the past five years, but after our visit in February we have cancelled all our future planned trips due to the airport mess,” she said.
A Tenerife-based British vlogger, known online as The Knightstrider, posted a clip to YouTube showing hundreds of people queuing for dozens of metres from passport control on April 11.
Queuing passengers can be seen scoffing in exhaustion as incredulous travellers join the back end of the line.
The vlogger joined a chorus of frustrated social media users in urging travellers to arrive at Tenerife Airport at least three hours before departure.
Click here to read more Olive Press Travel News from The Olive Press.