France and Britain have agreed to increase staffing at border controls and inject additional funding to avert travel chaos this summer, as the European Union's new biometric entry system continues to cause severe delays at airports and ports.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced £20 million in funding to reduce queues, while her French counterpart Philippe Tabarot agreed that high resourcing is essential. French border police have offered to deploy more officers on British soil at Dover, Folkestone, and London St Pancras. The Port of Dover, expecting nearly 50% more vehicles this summer, saw delays of up to 4.5 hours in May. Danish police have also increased staffing at airport border controls due to the disruptions.
Since April 2026, non-EU nationals must register fingerprints and facial scans each time they enter or leave the bloc. Nine European countries and airlines including Ryanair have urged a temporary suspension during peak season, but the EU has rejected calls to suspend the system.