Pressure Rises at Italian Airports Due to New EU Entry System: What Should Hungarian Travelers Watch Out For in Summer 2026?
One of the most important European travel news of recent days is not a new route or a new tax, but the fact that Italian airport and aviation stakeholders have openly indicated: the EU's new Entry/Exit System, or EES, is causing serious congestion at several major airports in practice. The issue is particularly important because Italy is one of the most popular destinations for Hungarian travelers, and before the summer peak season, it is already evident that longer wait times, stricter controls, and in some cases, greater connection risks should be expected at airports handling external Schengen border traffic. The change does not affect all passengers equally, but those traveling with a non-EU passport, or with a non-EU family member, partner, or guest, should plan ahead now.
The immediate context is a summary published on the IATA European blog on May 21, 2026, according to which Italy's main airport and airline organizations have addressed a joint letter to the Minister of the Interior. The goal is not to abolish the EES, but to ensure that the system's operation better aligns with the daily reality of airports. According to the industry, the problem is primarily caused by the fact that e-gates and biometric controls do not always operate smoothly during peak periods, meaning the process, which is digital and faster on paper, can have the opposite effect on-site.
What is the EES, and why has it suddenly become so important?
The EES is the European Union's new entry-exit system, which electronically records the short-term stays of non-EU and non-Schengen citizens. The gradual introduction of the system began on October 12, 2025, but full operation became mandatory at external Schengen border crossing points from April 10, 2026. According to the official information from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the EU Travel to Europe page, the EES electronically records entries and exits, as well as the duration of stay, instead of traditional passport stamping, and also handles biometric data, including facial images and, in some cases, fingerprints.
It is an important distinction that this is not the same as ETIAS. ETIAS will be a preliminary online travel authorization that will launch later, expected in the last quarter of 2026, while the EES is already an operational border registration system. Therefore, the current news is not about a future plan, but about the fact that the system fully launched in the spring of 2026 has placed serious operational pressure on control processes at several airports.
Who is affected and who is not?
This is the point where many Hungarian travelers can initially be reassured, but not everyone can relax. The EES does not apply to EU and Schengen citizens, so a tourist traveling with a Hungarian passport does not belong to the system's primary target group. However, the reality of summer travel is much more complex. More and more Hungarian families travel from mixed-citizenship households, many live or work in Hungary with a non-EU passport, and it is not uncommon for Hungarian travelers to fly together with British, American, Serbian, Turkish, Israeli, or other non-EU friends, relatives, or business partners.
For them, the EES is a very practical matter. The system applies to all non-EU passengers arriving for a short stay, who have a maximum of 90 days of Schengen stay within a 180-day period. If someone enters for the first time in a given period, or if the biometric process must be performed on-site, it may take more time. This can be particularly sensitive at popular Italian entry points, such as Rome Fiumicino Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport, or Venice Marco Polo Airport, where international traffic is already strong in the summer season.
Why has the problem come into the spotlight specifically in Italy?
Because Italy is simultaneously one of the most popular European leisure destinations and a market with major international hubs. Along with British, American, Middle Eastern, and Asian traffic, a huge number of short European city breaks and beach trips pass through Italian airports. According to the IATA communication on May 21, the new controls have already had a negative impact on border traffic queues at several locations, and the industry specifically highlighted that the operation of digital gates slows down or stalls in certain situations. The organization cited as an example an easyJet flight from which more than a hundred passengers missed out at Milan-Linate, because they did not pass through passport control in time.
This does not mean on its own that every trip to Italy will be chaotic, nor that the system is collapsing across Europe. Rather, it is a case where the rule is already in place, the summer traffic peak is only just beginning, and the first serious operational disputes are now surfacing. Such signals are always important in the tourism market, because they often foreshadow where passenger-side tension, delays, or connection problems may occur later.
What do official sources say?
According to the official EU Travel to Europe page, the essence of the EES introduction is that crossing external borders is recorded in an electronic register, and passport stamping is gradually phased out. The system also automates the monitoring of short-stay rules. eu-LISA, the EU agency for large-scale IT systems, also emphasizes that from April 10, 2026, airlines and other carriers have certain verification obligations regarding the affected passengers even before departure. This means that the process has become stricter not only at the border, but partly already during check-in and boarding.
Official pages also draw attention to another important detail: there is a Travel to Europe mobile app, which can help with the preliminary recording of data in some situations, but this does not mean there is nothing to do at the border. Certain elements of biometric control still take place on-site, so passengers should not assume that everything is fully automated and takes place in minutes.
What does this mean for Hungarian travelers in practice?
The most important lesson is that the current Italian debate about the EES is not just a technical matter that seems to be the internal affair of non-EU citizens. Its impact can extend to mixed-composition travel groups, joint bookings, connections, and arrival logistics. If, for example, someone departs from Budapest with a family member traveling with a non-EU passport, and enters the Schengen area in Rome or Venice, it is particularly important not to plan with too tight a connection. The same applies to those who are expecting American, British, or Balkan guests in Hungary, but their route includes a stopover, transfer, or multi-stop trip in Italy before arrival.
It is also worth considering that queues at the entry point can disrupt ground transportation after arrival. If someone is counting on a pre-booked transfer from Fiumicino Airport or an organized transfer from Venice Marco Polo Airport, unexpected border control delays can push back airport exit, boat connections, water taxis, rail connections, or hotel arrival. Those who depart from Budapest and calculate with a tight schedule on the return trip should also leave buffer time.
How should they prepare for summer travel now?
The first rule is simple: those who may be affected by the EES should not treat airport border control as a routine task. Check in advance which passport you are traveling with, whether you have a visa granting short-term stay, and if necessary, check the official passenger information of the given airport. The second rule is that, especially in the case of very busy Italian airports, it is advisable to build a larger time buffer into the program as an entry point. The third is that families and groups of friends traveling on a joint booking should not assume that everyone will pass through the control at the same pace.
It is also a sensible decision if affected passengers do not rely on last-minute transfers for their summer trip. Based on current news, it is not appearing that the system will be abolished or reversed, but that operational fine-tuning is still ongoing. In practice, this can mean temporary inequality: there will be airports and times of day where the change is hardly felt, while elsewhere serious queues may develop.
What could be the key question for the coming weeks?
At the beginning of summer, the most important thing will be how well Italian and other affected European airports can coordinate digital controls with actual passenger traffic. If the operation of e-gates can be accelerated, passenger flow better organized and communication clearer, the EES will indeed make border management more modern in the long run. However, if wait times continue to grow regularly during peak traffic, the issue becomes not only a security or technological matter, but a strong tourism and consumer issue.
From a Hungarian perspective, the best question now is not "will it definitely affect me?", but rather "is there a point in my itinerary where a non-EU passenger, external Schengen entry, or very tight transfer makes this change a real risk?". One of the quiet but important travel developments of 2026 is already here: the digitalization of the Schengen external borders has begun, and the first serious warning sign has come from the airports of Italy, one of the most favorite Hungarian destinations.