Malta risks long queues without border control flexibility, airport boss warns
Alan Borg was speaking following news that Malta is among nine countries appealing to the European Commission for more flexibility
The head of the airport has warned Malta could face a repeat of the long passport control queues seen earlier this year unless Malta is allowed to suspend the collection of biometric data from arriving non-EU passengers.
Speaking to Times of Malta, MIA CEO Alan Borg warned that “without the flexibility to suspend biometric collection in exceptional circumstances, we risk a repeat of the disruption we saw earlier this year, when passengers faced queues exceeding 40 minutes”.
“That is not the welcome Malta wants to offer its visitors.”
The airport boss was speaking following news that Malta is among nine countries calling on the European Commission to extend a mechanism of the EU’s new entry/exit system that allows countries to suspend data collection in exceptional circumstances.
Times of Malta understands that the exceptional circumstances referred to by countries campaigning for an extension refer to periods when airports are at their busiest.
While describing the new entry-exit system as a “long-overdue modernisation of Europe's borders”, the airport boss warned that “a system that is not yet fit for the realities of high-volume travel seasons will only damage the traveller experience, harm Malta's connectivity, and undermine confidence in EU travel."
The airport “fully supports” calls to extend the mechanism allowing for the suspension of data collection, Borg said, noting that “tens of thousands” of passengers passed through the airport each day during the peak summer months.
The new automated border system introduced this year, which is administered by the police, requires all non-EU nationals to register at the border by scanning their passport and having their fingerprints scanned and photographs taken.
The letter sent by nine countries, including Malta, earlier this week asks the commission to provide written guarantees that the mechanism for suspending such requirements will be extended past the September 6 expiry date.
In March, one aviation source described the system as a “mess”, after queues of over 40 minutes were seen at Malta International Airport. At least one travel agent lodged an official complaint with the government.
Borg is not the only airport boss to criticise the entry/exit system. The chief executive of a group of 14 Greek airports, including Corfu, described the system as “very unpleasant for passengers, and even dangerous” in a recent interview with the Financial Times.
While his airports have suspended collection of biometric data from UK passengers, who make up the majority of non-EU tourists to the country, the measure is only a “temporary fix” aimed at preventing a “collapse”, the outlet reported.
“It needs a new version, an update, and probably a reconfiguration in order to allow people to register before they fly, before they get on a plane, before they go to the airport.”
The EU has rejected industry calls for more flexibility during the summer months and the introduction of a permanent flexibility mechanism.