Security Seminar for Tighter Document Inspections Held at Athens Airport

In the aftermath of a decision by German authorities to reintroduce border controls on all passengers arriving from Greece at German airports, the Athens Airport Police Authority held a workshop recently on travel document inspection and forged documents identification.

Aimed at police and security staff responsible for checking travel documents, the seminar titled “Profiling – Forged Travel Documents” and one of many organized at the Athens International Airport (AIA), included the participation of German, Austrian, Italian, British and Dutch experts who presented the security features of their country’s travel documents and presented ways to detect forged passports and ID cards.

The seminar was attended by airline and ground handling employees as well as civil aviation officials.

In the meantime, passengers traveling from Greece to Germany will be subject to tight security checks within the airports’ Schengen arrivals area, with the procedure including only the verification of ID cards and photos, a three-party meeting between Greek, German and EU officials in Brussels, concluded last week. Greece vowed to enforce stricter controls in Athens on all Germany-bound travelers. Following the decision, Greek police officers will be stationed at Frankfurt and Munich airports.

Meanwhile, Greece has still not issued biometric identification cards. The current ID cards used for inter-EU travel are easier to forge