EU airlines, airports warn digital COVID certificate roll-out risks chaos

FILE PHOTO: People wait in queues at Faro airport amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Faro, Portugal, June 6, 2021. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Groups representing Europe's largest airlines and airports have warned of chaos and hours-long queues unless countries better coordinate the roll-out of the EU's digital COVID-19 certificate and ensure passengers are processed before arriving at airports.

The European Union's system of digital COVID-19 travel certificates is due to come into force on Thursday, but airports group ACI and airlines representative bodies A4E, IATA and ERA warned in a letter to EU national leaders of a "worrying patchwork of approaches" across the continent.