Manual border checks slow rollout at Keflavík Airport

Manual processing is slowing border checks at Keflavík Airport as Iceland continues introducing a new border system, mbl.is reports.

Self-service stations are still being installed at the airport’s border control points. Ómar Mehmet Annisius, assistant chief of police at Keflavík Airport, said the work is expected to continue for some time and that he hopes the stations will be operational before next summer.

The stations are part of a new border system being introduced in Iceland and other countries in the Schengen area. Until they are ready, passengers arriving in Iceland from outside the European Economic Area must be processed at border control points.

“We are doing all the work there. That means collecting information and biometric data, which should properly take place at the self-service stations and will move there once they become operational,” Ómar said.

Although new procedures have been introduced, the technology intended to support them is not ready. As a result, the work must be done manually, significantly slowing the process.

Ómar said the police had expected border checks to take longer during the transition. He compared the situation with reports of traffic queues and congestion at several foreign airports undergoing the same rollout.

Most countries in the Schengen area have faced some form of challenge while introducing the new border system and self-service stations, he said.

A complex, decentralised project

Ómar described the project as large and complex. It is not centrally managed by the European Union, meaning each participating country must obtain its own hardware and software and connect them to a central database.

“This is very extensive and complicated, both in terms of software and having the right hardware. But we are continuing our work to complete the project,” he said.

“We should not forget what the ultimate goal is. We want stronger borders and to prevent unwanted people from entering.”

According to Ómar, the implementation process began in 2021 and all the hardware was purchased on time. The process was later delayed in part because the hardware had to be reviewed. The National Police Commissioner’s office has also been replacing computers at the border control points with newer machines designed to handle heavier workloads.

Ómar also stressed that Icelanders returning from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or elsewhere outside the EEA can use the ABC gates and do not need to go through a border control point. He said this allows them to be processed quickly on arrival.