Air travel expert warns Brits of flight cancellations and diversion risks when EU border rules kick in NEXT...

An air travel expert has warned Brits to prepare for flight cancellations and diversion risks. 

With EU border rules set to kick in next month, the new entry/exit system (EES) is expected to cause issues in some airports. 

The digital system begins on October 12 for arrivals into the European Union and will require non-EU passport holders and those crossing Schengen borders to provide biometric data and fingerprints. 

'Almost every airport in Europe, Britain and anywhere in the world today is very well-run when things are going normally,' Oliver Ranson from Airline Revenue Economics told Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast.

He explained that in usual circumstances, 'people don't have to queue for too long'. 

'The problem is, when things do start to go wrong and when new systems like the entry and exit system are introduced, unexpected niggles can make the overall arrivals process very gnarly very quickly,' Oliver added.

The expert went on to argue that 'if that happens, it takes a surprisingly short time for an airport, which is normally working very well indeed, to completely collapse'.

He warned that issues like people not fitting into the arrivals hall and 'planes have to be held at the gate' can easily arise in such circumstances.

'Maybe even some flights will have to be diverted or cancelled because an airport can't accommodate them,' Oliver said.

When queues do build up, authorities will be able to make the decision to check only one in ten people to help keep things moving smoothly. 

Oliver calculated which airports will likely be impacted, with Athens, Bucharest and Milan Malpensa named as the most vulnerable. 

'This is not a criticism of any of those airports, these are airports which have a great selection of flights and a great range of destinations and can accommodate a large number of people arriving from the non-Schengen area,' he explained.

'Being at risk of disruption is not a criticism of these airports.'

Oliver added that a substantial number of non-Schengen arrivals go through the airports each day.

'If things do go wrong and it takes a long time for people to process the arriving passengers, systems aren't working, for whatever reason the immigration officers feel it would be inappropriate to relax the checks, then Athens and the other nine are the most at risk of disruption on the way,' he said.

EES will be an automated IT system for registering travellers from non-EU countries, including the UK, each time they cross a border into or out of the EU.

When it comes into force in October, travellers will need to scan their passports at an automated self-service kiosk prior to crossing the border.

This will replace the current manual stamping of passports for visitors to Europe's borderless Schengen area who are not nationals of EU or Schengen countries.

The system will register the person's name, type of travel document, biometric data (such as fingerprints) and the date and place of entry and exit.

It is likely that British travellers will have their fingerprints and facial images taken the first time they cross a border into the EU, once the new system is in operation.

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