Aviation industry warns of entry chaos at Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt. The aviation industry has warned of impending chaos when entering the Schengen area. Representatives of Frankfurt Airport, the airlines Lufthansa and Condor and the airport association ADV demand that the EU's exemption rules, which expire on September 6th, urgently need to be extended. Otherwise there would be a risk of excessively long waiting times for passengers from third countries to enter and leave the country.

In order to better protect its external borders, the EU has introduced a new digital procedure for entry and exit (Entry-Exit System - EES) since October 2025 for citizens who do not come from the Schengen area. They should record biometric characteristics every time they cross a border and compare them with appropriate databases.

The very complex procedures had led to long waiting times, so the EU allowed the controls to be temporarily suspended for the summer. This regulation is now expiring. EU citizens are not affected.

During a panel debate, Fraport board member Dietmar Focke explained that numerous people transferring flights are already stuck at border controls at Frankfurt Airport and are regularly in danger of missing their connecting flights. In August, very good punctuality was only achieved with the help of the exceptional rules.