Isavia press-release
Isavia and the Office of the National Commissioner of Police have signed an agreement with the French technology company IDEMIA for the purchase of a new comprehensive border system. The agreement ensures the installation of automatic border equipment at Keflavík Airport, but in addition, it is expected that equipment will be renewed at border stations throughout the country. With the new system, Iceland, as a party to the Schengen Agreement, will comply with the rules on entry/exit systems (EEA) at the borders of the member states of the Schengen co-operation.
The National Commissioner of Police and the police districts in Suðurnes and the Greater Reykjavík area have been working on the purchase of the new border equipment since early 2019. The decision to choose IDEMIA’s technical solutions for the project is the result of a long process. High hopes are pinned on a good and successful collaboration with IDEMIA.
“Isavia is pleased that this important step has been taken in collaboration with the Icelandic police authorities and IDEMIA,” says Guðmundur Daði Rúnarsson, Director of Business and Development at Isavia. “This new technology will support cross-border performance, but what is equally important is that it will improve the experience of passengers crossing the border and show once again what an important and convenient connection Keflavík Airport between Europe and the North is. America. The cross-border route will be safer with IDEMIA’s automated technology and increase the growth potential of the terminal, which is Keflavík Airport. “
“This milestone is important for the police in the country”, says Jón Pétur Jónsson, the chief police officer and division manager at the border department of the National Commissioner of Police. The new system of arrivals and departures will entail significant changes in the implementation of border controls at the external borders of the Schengen co-operation with third-country nationals, e.g. where the collection of biometric information (portraits and fingerprints) is required. The system will be used at Keflavík Airport but also at other border stations in Iceland. It is planned that the system will be fully operational in the first half of 2022, when new rules are implemented, and it is expected that it will be able to handle around 2,500 passengers per hour. The cost of this project is largely financed by grants from the European Union Internal Security Fund.
