Europe's Entry/Exit System (EES) continues to face resistance, with governments, airports and airlines all calling for changes as disruption continues months after the biometric border system was introduced.
Nine European countries have urged the European Union to extend temporary measures that allow border authorities to ease EES checks during periods of heavy congestion.
Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland have jointly requested that the current flexibility remains in place beyond 6 September, when it is due to expire.
The mechanism allows border authorities, in exceptional circumstances, to temporarily suspend the collection of travellers' biometric data, including fingerprints and facial scans, to reduce queues.
In a joint letter, the countries said: "The scheduled end of the partial suspension mechanism on 6 September is a source of serious and legitimate concern, shared not only by several member states, irrespective of their level of preparedness, but also by the transport sector as a whole."
They added: "We consider it essential that, beyond 6 September [2026], member states retain this [capability]."
The latest intervention comes after airlines and airports warned that the system is causing long queues and operational disruption.
easyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis described recent border queues as "completely unacceptable".
"Border authorities must make full use of the permitted flexibilities now, and if this cannot be done effectively, the system must be reviewed and those flexibilities extended beyond their September cliff edge, to ensure our customers do not continue being disrupted," he said.
Alexander Zinell, chief executive of Fraport Greece, which operates 14 airports in the country, said airports had resorted to using gazebos to shelter passengers waiting in queues while prioritising vulnerable travellers.
"It is very unpleasant for passengers, and even dangerous," he told the Financial Times.
Zinell said the emergency suspension measures were preventing the system from failing altogether.
"These are just temporary fixes, the system needs to be overhauled," he said. "It needs a new version, an update, and probably a reconfiguration in order to allow people to register before they fly, before they get on a plane, before they go to the airport."
The much-delayed EES is a digital system that replaces traditional passport stamping when entering or leaving the Schengen area. It records a traveller's photo, fingerprints and passport details each time they cross a border.