Pisa & Florence airports seeing delays due to new EU border system (EES)
If you’re flying in or out of Europe right now, in Tuacany especially from Pisa or Florence, it’s worth planning extra time at the airport.
Since 10–11 April, the EU has started rolling out the new Entry/Exit System (EES) across Schengen. It replaces passport stamps for non-EU travellers with a digital system that collects biometric data (fingerprints + facial image) and logs entries/exits in a central database.
In theory it should make things smoother long-term, but right now it’s causing delays—mainly for first-time users.
What’s happening in practice:
- First registration can take 2–5 minutes per passenger
- Staff often need to guide people through the process
- When multiple non-Schengen flights land at once (especially in Pisa), queues build up quickly
There have already been reports across Italy of long lines and even missed flights in these first days.
What to expect locally:
- Pisa Airport: longer queues for non-Schengen arrivals/departures
- Florence Airport: fewer long-haul flights, but still possible delays at peak times
Biggest slowdowns affect first-time users of the system.
Tips if you’re travelling:
Get to the airport earlier than usual
Expect longer passport control times
Follow signs for biometric registration points.
Curious if anyone here has already gone through EES in Pisa or Florence, how bad were the queues?