Lithuanian airports are among the most prepared to implement the impending EU Entry/ Exit System, completing contractual work to adapt spaces in the airport along the passenger travel journey.
Self-service kiosks and touchpoints have been erected and assessment has taken place of more spaces where additional biometric screening is likely be carried out, without becoming cumbersome.
Vidas Kšanas, Director of the Safety and Security Department at Lithuanian Airports, shared an enlightening insight on the seamlessness and data exchange capabilities of touchpoints:
“Once the screening starts, third-country citizens will not only receive detailed information on the procedures to be followed but will also have the opportunity to perform most of the services completely independently in the self-service terminals”.
Citizens of third countries that border with European countries but not part of the EU or Schengen area will be obliged to complete registration and border checks validating their identity, which obtains their personal data.
Lithuanian airports are ahead of preparing for the EU led Entry/ Exit System in contracting suppliers and mapping airport domains for deploying biometric infrastructure.
The biometric data collected from passengers as they travel will include their fingerprint and facial images which are stored in databases. The EU Entry/ Exit System spells the end of passport stamps.
The total cost of refurbishing Vilnius, Kaunas and Palanga airports in Lithuania is around EUR 3 million.
