Auckland Airport queues: Biosecurity says it has cut passenger wait times

Biosecurity New Zealand says passenger queue times at Auckland Airport are improving, and that on average, it is now processing passengers in less than 10 minutes. Biosecurity New Zealand’s northern commissioner Mike Inglis said the average biosecurity processing time had steadily reduced during the year from a high of 13.16 minutes in February to 9.72 minutes in August. However, this processing time is only measured from the biosecurity portal – beginning at the signage at the start of the lanes. During busy periods, travellers can find themselves waiting in long snaking queues that extend well beyond the biosecurity screening area. The peak time for biosecurity processing at the airport was from 5pm to 8pm, when there were high volumes of arriving travellers from the Pacific Islands, Asia, US and Australia. During this period in August, the average processing time was said to be 12.29 minutes. Inglis said passenger flows were influenced by a range of industry-wide factors that were outside of Biosecurity New Zealand’s direct control. “However, we’ve been working hard with airports, airlines, and other agencies to streamline and adjust arrival processes where required to improve passenger flows.”<br/>