Greece Pledges Smooth Border Crossings for British Summer Tourists

BBC Business reported Saturday that Greece has guaranteed British holidaymakers will face no border delays this summer, regardless of peak-season congestion at airports.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni told the BBC that Athens does not want visitors “burdened” by bureaucratic entry procedures. She said Greek authorities are working to keep all frontier checks under two minutes. The assurance covers the entire summer season, with no biometric processing required for UK nationals at any point.

The EU’s New Entry-Exit System Explained

The European Union completed the rollout of its Entry-Exit System in April. The digital border programme requires non-EU visitors entering the Schengen zone to register fingerprints and a facial scan on first arrival. Subsequent trips trigger a partial biometric check at passport control.

The system has operated smoothly in parts of the bloc. In others, it has caused serious disruption. Passengers at Milan’s Linate airport faced queues that caused more than 100 travellers to miss an EasyJet flight to Manchester. Ryanair customers departing from Milan Bergamo also missed connections due to the same bottleneck.

Greece’s Quiet Suspension and Brussels Pushback

Greece quietly suspended biometric checks on UK visitors at Corfu airport in early April after queues grew unmanageable. Kefalogianni framed this not as a formal exemption but as a facilitation measure. EU rules allow temporary suspension during severe congestion but prohibit blanket carve-outs for specific nationalities.

The European Commission confirmed last week it had contacted Greece to clarify the rules. Separately, the Commission said neither Portugal nor Italy plans to follow Greece’s lead and exempt British nationals from the checks.

Jet Fuel Jitters Add Pressure on Summer Bookings

Beyond border friction, Kefalogianni acknowledged that uncertainty over jet fuel supplies has made some tourists hesitant to commit to travel plans. A slowdown in Gulf fuel exports, linked to the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran, has tightened European supply chains. She said the hesitancy is a broad trend but expressed confidence that Greece’s value-for-money reputation would sustain visitor numbers.

The British government told travellers last week there was no need to cancel flights over fuel concerns, citing contingency measures already in place domestically.

Kefalogianni said Greece already has significant visitor numbers on the ground and expects arrivals to grow as the season progresses.

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