Passengers arriving from outside the Schengen zone faced long queues on Saturday morning at Brussels Airport following a technical issue with the automated e-gates at passport control.
According to an airport spokesperson, the problems began already on Friday evening. The Federal Police of Belgium is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, while additional staff were deployed to manage the flow of passengers.
It is not the first time that technical failures have caused congestion at border control in Zaventem — an issue regularly highlighted in previous incidents. Frustrated travellers took to X to share photos and complain about waiting times stretching well beyond the usual processing times.
Plans to renew and modernise the e-gate system have reportedly been on the table for several years, but Saturday’s disruption once again underlines the vulnerability of the current infrastructure, particularly during busy arrival waves.
Arriving at Brussels Airport…more than an hour waiting at customs. Shame on you, Belgium.? pic.twitter.com/lhTlrsggqa
— Seghi Edi ? (@gilgoel) February 7, 2026
De smurfen heten ons op de luchthaven welkom in België. Ze zouden beter even bijspringen bij de douane. Wachttijden tot 2 uur, rijendik aanschuiven. Op zo’n ogenblikken zijn al die regiopromotie op de luchthaven weggegooid geld. Welcome to Belgium @BrusselsAirport
— Noël Slangen (@NoelSlangen) February 7, 2026