The new EU border system has almost tripled the time it takes Britons to get through passport control even after improvements have been made, a boss at Rome’s main airport has said.

It comes as Ryanair has warned passengers traveling to Europe this summer to prepare for long waits.

Border police at Portugal’s Faro airport also told the BBC that the technology of the entry and exit system was buggy, but insisted any queues would disappear quickly.

The European Commission (EC) has said that at most EU airports disruptions are limited and added that it will continue to support member states in implementing the system.

He added: “This support will continue to the greatest extent possible.”

The digital Entry and Exit System (EES) requires non-EU citizens entering the Schengen area – made up of 29 European countries – to register their fingerprints and a photograph upon arrival. Information is verified as they go.

It is often carried out using stand-alone automated machines known as “kiosks” and sometimes with border agents, for example for children under 12 years of age. The new process and new machines have been gradually implemented since October.

Some European airports have experienced hours-long queues at passport control. Passengers have even reported missed flights home.

This week, Ryanair said “the failed EES rollout” was causing unnecessary delays and long queues.

The airline said UK passengers should “allow additional time for their journey and be prepared for long waits at passport control”.

In Rome, a perennially popular destination for tourists from the UK and around the world, everyone we spoke to in the Piazza di Spagna had an EES story.