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🇮🇸 Iceland /Energy & Infrastructure

Keflavík Airport Information Could Have Been Better, Says Police

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Authorities at Keflavík Airport could have provided clearer information about new border control systems at the start of the summer.
  • Long queues have formed as the new system requires passport scanning, fingerprinting, and facial recognition, significantly increasing processing times.
  • Airport stakeholders, including police, are meeting weekly to assess the situation and improve passenger experience.

Long lines have become a common sight at Keflavík Airport, with passengers facing significant delays due to a new border control system. Bjarni Ólafur Ólafsson, a police representative for the Suðurnes region, admitted that information provided by authorities at the beginning of the summer could have been more precise.

The new system mandates passport scanning, fingerprinting, and facial recognition for all arriving passengers. This data is then sent to a central database in Brussels for verification. The process is estimated to take up to six times longer per passenger than the previous system, with individual checks potentially lasting between 24 and 150 seconds.

Information from us could have been better or more precise at the start of the summer to explain this.

— Bjarni Ólafur ÓlafssonPolice representative admitting that communication about the new border system could have been improved.

Despite media attention, Ólafsson suggested that the extent of the issue might be exaggerated, stating that individual experiences can vary. However, he acknowledged the need for better communication. "Information from us could have been better or more precise at the start of the summer to explain this," he told mbl.is.

As with all passengers, we are also taking our first steps, and this has never been done before. We try to assess the situation every single day.

— Bjarni Ólafur ÓlafssonDescribing the ongoing learning process for authorities implementing the new border control system.

Stakeholders at the airport, including Isavia, Icelandair, and the police, are holding weekly meetings to discuss the new system. Ólafsson likened the situation to passengers learning a new process, emphasizing that everyone is taking their first steps. "As with all passengers, we are also taking our first steps, and this has never been done before. We try to assess the situation every single day," he said.

He welcomed the ongoing discussion about the system, expressing a willingness to provide further information. "But I welcome all discussion about how this is, why this is, whether we can inform something more about this than we are, and so on," he added.

But I welcome all discussion about how this is, why this is, whether we can inform something more about this than we are, and so on.

— Bjarni Ólafur ÓlafssonExpressing openness to public discussion and further explanation of the border control system.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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