PM 'pushes Brussels to let UK tourists use EU passport e-gates'
Brits brace for another summer of holiday travel chaos as Rishi Sunak ‘pushes Brussels to let them use EU passport e-gates’ instead of queuing at booths on the continent when millions head abroad this summer
- UK cut off from using the gates under terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement
- But Spain has relaxed its rules to allow UK holidaymakers to use its e-gates
Rishi Sunak has asked the EU to let British holidaymakers use e-gates at continental airports as he seeks to head off another summer of travel chaos.
The UK was cut off from using the gates under the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, but the PM hopes to restore the perk ahead of the main tourist season.
Spain has already relaxed its rules to allow UK holidaymakers – a major source of tourism revenue – to use its e-gates.
But UK diplomats are quietly sounding out their EU counterparts hoping to make it happen across the 27-state bloc, Bloomberg reported.
Brits travelling abroad in major holiday periods have been stung by long waits at border controls.
The PM is hoping that an improved relationship with Brussels that saw the two sides sign the Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland will help ease pressure.
The UK was cut off from using the gates under the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, but the PM hopes to restore the perk ahead of the main tourist season.
The PM is hoping that an improved relationship with Brussels that saw the two sides sign the Windsor Framework for Northern Ireland will help ease pressure.
Spain last June allowed any Brits flying to the mainland and the Balearic Islands to use automated gates, after huge queues in terminals at airports including Palma, Mallorca (pictured)
Under EU plans due to be implemented in 2024, citizens from the UK and other so-called ‘third-country’ nationals could have their biometric data taken to obtain a visa waiver.
But the British government is worried this will not end delays, and is looking for full access to the bloc’s e-gates, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
However it is not clear how Mr Sunak’s plan will help the Dover-Calais crossing, with has been the scene of the majority of delays between the UK and the continent.
UK Airports were also hit last year by chaos that saw Heathrow cap daily passenger numbers from the start of August to ease major congestion.
Spain last June allowed any Brits flying to the mainland and the Balearic Islands to use automated gates.
The change came in an effort to ease huge queues building up in terminals at airports including Palma, Mallorca, due to a lack of airport staff.
Spain is the most popular travel destination for holidaymakers from the UK, but 2022 saw thousands of tourists encounter enormous delays or have their flights cancelled at the last minute.
UK Airports were also hit last year by chaos that saw Heathrow cap daily passenger numbers from the start of August to ease major congestion.
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