The State will reinforce controls at Balearic airports for passengers coming from Italy
The National Police will carry out random checks on flights arriving from Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice and Florence
PalmaThe airports of the Balearic Islands will incorporate border controls for passengers from Italy in the coming hours, after the Ministry of the Interior extended this Saturday the operation to several state airports. The controls have been in effect since midnight at Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat and during the day have also been extended to Malaga, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante and Valencia.
The operation will now reach the airports of the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, as reported by the Ministry of the Interior. The main Italian airports of origin for flights subject to these controls are Fiumicino and Ciampino, in Rome; Malpensa, in Milan; Naples, Venice and Florence, although the list will be extended in the coming days.
The controls will not affect all passengers. In the case of flights, the National Police will randomly check the documentation of between 5% and 10% of travelers, with an average of about 15 people on medium-sized planes and 25 on larger aircraft.
Controls at the plane door
Interior has explained that the inspections will be carried out "at the plane door", just at the exit of the access jet bridge to the aircraft. In this way, passengers will not have to be diverted to a specific external border control area.
Between two and four National Police officers, depending on each aircraft, will be in charge of carrying out the checks. The controls will be random and not systematic and will focus on citizens from third countries, with the aim of verifying that they meet the requirements established by the Schengen Borders Code.
Citizens of member states will be excluded from these inspections, according to the Ministry of the Interior, in order to speed up the departure of passengers from aircraft.
In the event that officers detect any doubt about the documentation or compliance with entry requirements, the passenger will be accompanied to the border post for a more exhaustive check. The Ministry assures that these actions will be carried out discreetly and with respect for the guarantees and rights established by immigration regulations.
The operation consists of a hundred National Police officers assigned to border posts, who combine these controls with the rest of the functions specific to their specialty.
The expansion of the operation to the airports of the Balearic Islands will occur in a context of strong air connection with Italy during the tourist season, with numerous flights connecting the Islands with the main Italian cities.
