The airports authority Aena is to spend 90 million euros on equipment for border (passport) control - the ABC automated border system. Some 650 units will be installed over the next four years in the 22 airports with the most international passengers.
Delays at passport control for UK travellers became an issue last summer following the introduction of new European Union regulations that obliged member states to carry out systematic checks on passengers in order to strengthen security. These delays weren't only experienced at Palma airport.
The automated system will speed up the processing and movement of passengers. It is widely used within the EU, and there are some 80 units at six Spanish airports at present: Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Tenerife South and Palma.
The ABC system for verifying passports and facial recognition takes around twenty seconds per passenger.