Passengers arriving at Keflavík International Airport from outside the Schengen area are facing significantly longer waits at border control.
Processing times are reported to have increased by as much as sixfold following the introduction of a new entry system.
What’s the Story?
Original source: RÚV
- Border checks for non-Schengen arrivals now take more than a minute per passenger, compared with 15–20 seconds previously.
- Additional funding and border officers have not been enough to offset delays caused by the new entry procedures.
- Self-service border control kiosks installed last year remain out of service after failing to operate as intended.
Self-service Kiosks Idle
According to Chief Inspector Bjarni Ólafur Ólafsson of the Suðurnes Police, the new procedures have increased the average processing time for each passenger from around 15–20 seconds to more than a minute. In some cases, checks can take up to 90 seconds, contributing to lengthy queues during peak arrival periods.
The chief Inspector said the busiest periods occur when flights from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom arrive within a short time frame, with as many as 30 to 33 aircraft landing around the same time.
Under the new system, border officers must collect passengers’ fingerprints and photographs and scan their passports. The data is then transmitted to Brussels, where technical delays can further extend processing times.
Although extra funding has been provided and more border guards deployed, Ólafsson admits that congestion is caused primarily by prolonged checks. He said it was difficult to estimate how many passengers were waiting at any given time but expressed hope that waiting times would improve.
Self-service border control kiosks installed in the airport’s arrivals hall in October to improve efficiency and security are currently not in use after failing to function as intended. Asked whether the situation would be different if the kiosks were operational, Ólafsson said it was difficult to say.
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