Portugal and Italy the latest destinations set to ditch new EU border checks to avoid half-term airport chaos

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The popular destinations could follow Greece in dumping the Entry/exit System (EES) rules until at least September to ease queues for UK holidaymakers.

The system requires people from external countries, like the UK, having their fingerprints registered and a photograph taken.

Portugal is already waving passengers through if queues are considered too large and Italy is expected in allowing tourists to enter on a passport stamp ahead of May half-term.

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It is also expected that France and Croatia could follow suit.

Seamus McCauley, from travel company Holiday Extras, described the system as an "utter fiasco" and thinks countries will have no choice but to defy the EU to protect the livelihoods of people dependant on tourism. 

Mr McCauley told Mail Online: "Countries are not going to sit back and let Greece take their trade because they won’t face EES delays at airports.

"To do so would be politically toxic as jobs are on the line. The rollout has been an utter fiasco.

"British tourists are worth €3.5billion a year to the Greek economy and it has rightly decided it will not jeopardise that because EES is not working properly."

It comes after it emerged airlines will be allowed to group passengers from different flights together onto fewer planes as part of plans to save jet fuel.

The temporary rule change will allow airline carriers to consolidate flights on routes where there are multiple trips to the same destination all on the same day.

The change would mean passengers could be moved from the service they originally booked to a similar one to reduce the amount of wasted fuel from flying planes that have not sold out and might have been cancelled.

Mr Macauley added: "Greece broke ranks and Portugal keeps suspending the rules. Others are almost certain to follow. Something has to give."

The EES became fully operational last month in the Schengen countries – 25 of the 27 EU states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.