EES rollout snarls European airports, UAE travellers urged to build in 4-hour buffers

The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational on May 31, triggering hours-long immigration queues at major European hubs. UAE leisure and business travellers are missing connections, and travel managers are lengthening layovers and re-routing high-value staff. The disruption highlights how third-country biometric programmes can up-end even the most efficient Middle-East-to-world routings.