Travellers are being warned to watch out for delays after airline bosses fear queues could build up at major airports.
President of the Líneas Aéreas association, Javier Gándara, has said that more National Police officers are needed to check passengers’ passports, according to the Express.
This comes as passports are needing to be stamped since Britain left the EU and the Easter rush at Spanish airports led to delays and long queues at passport controls in popular airports such as Madrid and Malaga.
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Mr Gándara said: “It will be the first summer when passports for travellers to the UK have to be checked and the first when air traffic is likely to be normal, now that the British Government has lifted all the restrictions imposed because of the pandemic.
“There have already been problems at the airports over Easter and we need to avoid this happening in peak season.
“That’s why it’s important that enough police officers are assigned to handle the high numbers of passengers.”
This comes as it was reported that 3,000 travellers missed their flights at Madrid airport over Easter due to long queues as passport control.
However, according to Schengen Via Info, from May 2022, Brits will no longer need to have their passports stamped as a new entry-exit system is expected to be functioning.
The European Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs states: "EES will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection of over-stayers (travellers who have exceeded the maximum duration of their authorised stay)".
Until the new automated service is up and running, those travelling back the UK from Europe will need to get their passport stamped to show that they have not overstayed their time.
Although you do not need a visa for short trips to EU countries, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, there is a limit on how long you can stay. You can stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
If your passport is not stamped when exiting, then it will be assumed you overstayed.
