The situation in Leif Eiricsson Airport in Keflavik has become unstable according to Olafur Helgi Kjartansson chief of police in the south peninsula Reykjanes, so much so that it’s bordering on uprisings among displeased passengers. Kjartansson worked on security issues on the airport said as much in minutes from board meetings with the air facilitation board in Keflavik according to Visir’s report.
The staff of Isavia, which handles the operation and development of airports in Iceland and manages air traffic in the Icelandic control area, disagree with the assessment according to Gudni Sigurdsson with the public relation department of Isavia. While there are a number of complaints during high-pressure times at the airport and when there are delays, the staff manages quite well to respond to complaints and the rising numbers of passengers Sigurdson informs Visir’s reporter. “The key is distribute the pressure over the twenty four hours, and respond and be prepared to the high pressure hours when the big airlines are coming in he concludes.
According to passengers the scene at the airport seems chaotic these days. “The situation in Keflavik Airport is humiliation for the country” reporter Fridrik Thor Gudmundsson who arrived from the U.S. last week states. Many airlines are landing at the same time and according to him the passengers are met with total chaos on arrival. “The worst thing was seeing people with crying children not receiving any assistance and the intercom system not being used to explain and apologize for the situation.” He added that on top of everything else he gathered that the luggage conveyer belts frequently malfunctioned and he people stuck in long lines, that hardly moved while airline crews rushed passed them. Sigurdsson said Isavia is aware of the delays that can occur with passengers arriving from outside the European Schengen. They are working to mend the situation for those passengers.