Madrid-Barajas to conduct pre-inspections of travelers flying to the United States

The U.S. government is to extend passenger pre-screening to another ten international airports, including Madrid-Barajas. This measure involves monitoring the traveler with screens at the start of the trip, rather than upon arrival in the country.

 

 

In addition to the airport of the Spanish capital, the new affected are: Brussels, Punta Cana, Tokyo-Narita, Ámsterdam-Schiphol, Oslo, Stockholm-Arlanda, Istanbul-Ataturk, London-Heathrow, Manchester and Madrid-Barajas in Spain. The effective dates of the new protocol have not yet been released.

The preselection has been made by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, after consultation with the Transportation Security Administration and the State Department. CBP is responsible for thescreening of passengers and their baggage before departing a foreign port.

According to CBP representative R. Gil Kerlikowske, "pre-inspection operations are an important step in the U.S. government's efforts to prevent terrorism from coming to our borders. Additional pre-inspection agreements will further protect the safety and security of our citizens while energizing legitimate travel and commerce.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said that preclearance is beneficial to the traveler, providing security and reducing wait times upon arrival at the busiest U.S. airports.

U.S. security authorities expect the U.S. and the governments of the countries invited to participate in the program to begin negotiations leading to a final aérea pre-clearance agreement that will pave the way for the establishment of special new facilities for pre-screening under this initiative.