Just a warning for anyone departing from Paris CDG on 18 May 2026.
Passport control was severely backed up due to what appeared to be widespread malfunctioning of the automated e-gates (a “sea of red” across the system). As a result, the manual passport control lanes were extremely slow, with processing times ranging from about 30 seconds up to 12 minutes per passenger.
I spent roughly 1 hour and 10 minutes in the EU electronic passport queue before being allowed to move ahead with passengers from an imminently departing international flight. Without that priority, I estimate it would have taken around 2.5 to 3 hours just to clear passport control.
I ended up reaching my gate right at scheduled boarding time, and I was very close to missing the flight entirely, even though I ultimately made it.
Recommendation: allow at least 2 hours (or more) just for passport control at CDG under similar conditions, as delays can escalate quickly when the e-gates are not functioning properly.
0