Rome airports threaten to suspend EU border checks as summer tourism peaks

Rome's airports will have to suspend the European Union's new digital border system for non-EU citizens to avoid a summer travel disaster, according to the head of the airports authority, the Guardian reported on Thursday. The entry-exit system, designed to speed up border processing, is expected to overwhelm facilities during peak tourism season unless authorities grant a temporary exemption.

The threat comes as Italy prepares for its busiest travel months, when millions of international visitors converge on Rome, Venice, Florence and other major destinations. The airports CEO told the Guardian that allowing non-EU passengers to bypass the digital system would be the only way to prevent bottlenecks that could strand travellers and damage Italy's tourism revenue during the critical summer period.