Operators planning flights to Europe should be aware of new target dates announced for the implementation of the EU-LISA IT system.

EU-LISA is made up of two programs: the Entry/Exit System (EES) which is a digital system that will verify if a third-country national is traveling to the EU and a short stay, single, or double entry visa has already used the number of entries authorized by the visa. And the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) which requires operators to verify that passengers have valid travel authorization.

The target date for the EES is November 10 this year with ETIAS planned to begin in Spring 2025.

Exemptions

Privately operated aircraft, owned by a private individual or organization, conducting non-commercial flights under NCC/NCO rules are not required to comply with EES and ETIAS requirements, even in the cases with professional paid crew members.

Flight categories that must comply

Flights conducted by charter operators under commercial aviation rules, which hold an air operator certificate and, for third-country operators, an approval from EASA to operate within the EU

Flights in aircraft owned by a private individual or organization, managed by a professional operator but only for the use of the owner; “managed” in this respect means that crew, maintenance, handling, and all aspects of conducting a flight are done by a management company but the flights are not open for the public and are only conducted on the aircraft owner’s behalf.

The EES and ETIAS will replace the manual stamping of passports and electronically capture the entry and exit of visitors who require single or double-entry visas for the prevention of irregular immigration and the management of migration flows.

Essentially, the EES will verify passengers have not already used the number of entries authorized by their visa or stayed longer than permitted if traveling from a visa-exempt country.

Its main purpose is to cut down on the current customs procedures.

Operators who have not already registered are urged to do so as soon as possible.

UAS can assist carriers with registration and EES traveler screening. Click here to contact us.

For more information, visit the EBAA’s official website here.

For further updates, visit UAS Blog