Spain’s Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) increased the number of border police officers on duty to accommodate an increasing number of non-EU citizens visiting the popular summer holiday destination. The increase is aimed at cutting down waiting times for non-EU travellers who must undergo EU Entry/Exit System (EES) checks upon arrival in any EU country.
Airport wait times
The number of border police officers assigned to Palma de Mallorca Airport has increased by 52.08% to streamline EES check-in waiting times for travellers. The average wait time for EES checks at Palma Airport is 30 minutes; however, it has extended to an hour and 10 minutes on one occasion, according to comments by the head of Airport Border Patrol, José Ignacio Hernández, in the local Majorca Daily Bulletin.
Hernández also highlighted that most non-EU entries to the island, which reached 2,706,344 travellers, are citizens of the British Isles who now require EES checks when entering any EU territory due to Brexit.
He told the Majorca Daily Bulletin:
“It’s true that there is a wait, but there’s also increased security.”
Mallorca EES checks
The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) checks non-EU travellers’ biometric data, including photos and fingerprints, as well as passport details upon entry or exit from an EU airport. The European Union introduced the system on Oct. 12, 2025, to automate airport checks, stop irregular migration, and enhance border security.
Although Mallorca is not usually at high risk of irregular migration and illegal entry, the island’s airport may have long wait and entry times for British travellers, especially during high-demand seasons such as the summer months.
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