No problem arises at Cypriot airports from the automated mechanism for registering third-country nationals entering and leaving the Schengen area. As is well known, chaos has been caused at several European airports for days, due to the EES (entry-exit system) mechanism.
It is essentially a digital system, which records when travellers enter and leave the Schengen area for short stays, collecting biometrics such as facial images and fingerprints, along with personal data from travel documents.
According to the information we have collected, Cyprus, apart from the fact that it is still outside Schengen, is not included in the countries that have installed this system and therefore, the traditional process with passport control continues. The EES has become operational at all external borders of all 29 countries of the free movement zone, i.e. all EU Member States, except Cyprus and Ireland. It also does not exist in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway. People coming from certain countries, such as the US, UK, Australia or Latin American states, do not need to obtain a visa, but are still subject to the EES system. Citizens of EU member states and the Schengen area are exempt from the checks, as are nationals of Andorra, San Marino, Vatican City and Monaco.
However, our information states that the competent authorities of the country are monitoring the developments, as Cyprus has already initiated the procedures to join the Schengen zone. In this regard, it is underlined that citizens from the United Kingdom would then be subject to the EES system, which translates into a great burden for Cypriot airports when in the future our country is called upon to implement it, since as it is known, the UK is the largest market in Cyprus, in terms of tourist arrivals.
As reported on international sites, while we have entered the heart of the tourist season, airports and airlines are facing huge problems due to this system. Waiting times at border controls have increased significantly, reaching five hours in some cases during peak periods, impacting millions of passengers. According to a letter sent to the European Commission by associations representing airlines and airports, the situation "has reached a critical point". Airlines for Europe, ACI Europe and the International Air Transport Association called for "immediate intervention" and called for flexibility so that they could fully suspend the EES in July and August. As we have been informed, Greece seems to be facing serious problems, especially in the small regional airports, which are located on the islands, as they have neither the premises nor the infrastructure to carry out the checks with the new system in a relatively short period of time.
However, the European Union rejects the request by airports and airlines to suspend the new control system, although it acknowledges that long delays have been caused in some places. EU officials say that of the approximately 1,500 border entry points, only 20 have serious problems.
