Passengers with nothing to declare will be directed to the express lane and screened by detector dog, rather than going through the X-ray lane. Photo / Stephen Parker
Passengers with nothing to declare will be directed to the express lane and screened by detector dog, rather than going through the X-ray lane. Photo / Stephen Parker
Biosecurity New Zealand says it has cut wait times at Auckland Airport and has added staff but is still on the lookout for up to 50 workers.
Passengers who arrive at peak times have complained of long waits, with X-raying of baggage for threats to the country’s primary producers causingdelays.
But Biosecurity NZ northern regional commissioner Mike Inglis said a “significant” amount of work has been done in preparation for the July school holidays.
“This has been a system-wide approach to manage arrivals at the border and has involved working closely with Auckland Airport and other border agencies to identify and resolve congestion-related issues. For example, the airport has provided staff to help direct passengers to appropriate biosecurity lanes.”
He said Biosecurity NZ is also part of an Auckland Airport-wide “sprint group” that includes the airport company, baggage handlers, airlines and other border agencies that work at the airport. The group was focused on making improvements ahead of the holidays and when FIFA Women’s World Cup visitors are also starting to arrive.
One traveller who was caught in long queues last month told the Herald: “The passenger processing system has gone backwards; it’s the worst I’ve experienced. And yet in this day and age, it should be the opposite to please and surprise the customer (the traveller). I’m not sure why it’s changed so much, apart from manpower.”
The passenger said rebuilding work in the arrivals hall shouldn’t be an excuse. Inglis acknowledges there are pinch points.
“We acknowledge processing speed at peak times can be higher than the average, due to a range of factors affecting international passenger traffic across all airport operations. This is why a system-wide approach to improving our systems is important.”
Biosecurity New Zealand has “nothing to declare” and “declare” biosecurity lanes for New Zealand and Australian passport holders.
Many airports around the world are struggling to cope with aviation's surge. Photo / AP
Inglis said passengers will be risk assessed by a quarantine officer.
“The officer will then decide the most appropriate route for the passenger based on biosecurity threat. Passengers with nothing to declare will be directed to the express lane and screened by detector dog, rather than going through the X-ray lane. This will reduce pressure on the X-ray lanes.” Express lanes were reintroduced more than six months ago (before the pandemic, these were called green lanes). Based on passenger compliance surveys, they were proving effective.
Biosecurity NZ is part of the Ministry of Primary Industries and was using “a range of communication channels”, including through websites and travel agents, to ensure travellers are aware of the importance of biosecurity and the need to declare or not to bring risk items into New Zealand.
This has resulted in the continued improvement to passenger queue times in the airport’s biosecurity area. The average time for June to date is 10.51 minutes from entering the biosecurity lane to exiting risk assessment – down from more than 12 minutes in March.
Inglis told the Herald that during the past year, 64 new officers started nationwide. Of these, 46 are working in Auckland. A new cohort of 13 officers graduated in April, and 19 new recruits started their training in Auckland this month. Further recruitment is planned for later in the year.
“We are looking at introducing nearly 50 new officers to the Auckland region this year.”
Biosecurity had re-deployed officers and other staff to the airport from other work areas to manage high demand.
Risk assessment stations at Auckland Airport had increased from nine to 11, and it was reconfiguring queues to separate passengers with “something to declare” from those with “nothing to declare”.
Additional officers had been added to cope with clearance delays due to mishandled baggage.
Grant Bradley has worked at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.
