IRISH holidaymakers are among the thousands of travellers across Europe caught up in the passport controls chaos.
Passengers travelling across Europe have been facing massive delays, with reports of some travellers missing flights, after new EU border controls came into effect.
Some have been forced to wait in four-hour queues at passport desks with passengers arriving at airports in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Belgium among those worst affected.
Previously, Irish and British travellers only required a visual passport check by European border officials, but now visitors from non-Schengen countries - an area comprising 26 European states that have officially abolished passport and other types of border control at their mutual borders - are subject to greater scrutiny under the new rules.
The new protocols came in the wake of the Paris and Brussels terror attacks. However it is feared the situation could get even worse in the coming weeks, as the new regulations have not yet been fully implemented.
Airlines For Europe (A4E), which represents Ryanair, easyJet and Aer Lingus, said some people were in queues for up to four hours.
Several airlines has warned its customers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure.
The organisation also claimed some passengers are missing their flights because of the issue.
A4E managing director Thomas Reynaert said passengers had been left "devastated".
"Travellers face long lines and can't get on their flights. Queuing for up to four hours has been the top record these days," he said.
"Airports like Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Lisbon, Lyon, Paris-Orly, Milan or Brussels are producing shameful pictures of devastated passengers in front of immigration booths, in lines stretching hundreds of metres.
"At some airports, flight delays have increased by 300 per cent compared to last year."
A spokeswoman for travel trade organisation Abta said: "New, stricter passport checks are resulting in longer queues at some airports, including Palma, which is already busy due to a significant increase in passenger numbers.
"Tour operators will ensure that customers get to the airport in plenty of time so that they are not in danger of missing their flights.
"However, independent travellers will need to check the situation with their airlines and, where necessary, ensure they factor these longer queuing times into their travel plans when flying in and out of the airport.
"It is also extremely important that border control check points are sufficiently resourced so that queuing times are kept to a minimum."
