New passport check stands at Chopin Airport

To keep up with the dynamic development of air services, including new intercontinental flights and non-Schengen destinations, the Warsaw Airport has been extending the passport control area. As of today there are as many as 18 stands available for departing passengers.

The launch of the rebuilt passport zone comes at the start of the busiest months of the holiday season, during which the number of operations rises considerably. Thanks to the completion of the project, the number of booths increased from 5 to 9 and the number of stands from 10 to 18. As a result, the capacity of the area nearly doubled.

With the comfort of all passengers in mind two stands have been specifically designed to meet the needs of disabled persons and every stand has been equipped with induction loops to facilitate the communication of the hearing impaired with staff.

“It’s the second zone, out of three, where redevelopment was carried out. Last year we modernized arrivals for passengers exiting aircraft through boarding bridges. Currently design works are underway to upgrade the third passport control zone used by passengers disembarking at remote stands and transported to the building by buses,” says Cezary Pytlos, Warsaw Chopin Airport spokesman.

 The expansion of the passport control zone is especially important in view of the recently introduced changes pertaining to the rules of crossing Schengen external borders. As of 7 April 2017 the Schengen Border Code imposed an obligation on all member states to perform thorough checks of every person entering or leaving the zone. Previously, persons exercising the right to free movement, among them Polish citizens, were subject to the so called minimum check.