If negotiations with partner nations are successful, the United States will soon expand air preclearance operations to 10 new foreign airports, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week.
In airports where it's implemented, preclearance allows travelers to undergo the requisite immigration, customs, and agriculture inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prior to boarding a direct flight to the United States, instead of upon arrival. The program, DHS says, allows CBP to stop security threats before they arrive on U.S. soil and to reduce headaches for travelers upon arrival at U.S. airports.
"A significant homeland security priority of mine is building more preclearance capacity at airports overseas. We have this now in 15 airports," Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said in a statement. "I am pleased that we are seeking negotiations with 10 new airports in nine countries. I want to take every opportunity we have to push our homeland security out beyond our borders so that we are not defending the homeland from the one-yard line. Preclearance is a win-win for the traveling public. It provides aviation and homeland security, and it reduces wait times upon arrival at the busiest U.S. airports."
The 10 airports identified for possible preclearance locations include: Brussels Airport in Belgium; Punta Cana Airport in the Dominican Republic; Narita International Airport in Japan; Amsterdam Airport Schipol in the Netherlands; Oslo Airport in Norway; Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain; Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden; Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey; and London Heathrow Airport and Manchester Airport in the United Kingdom. In 2014, nearly 20 million passengers traveled from these 10 airports to the United States.
The travel industry applauded DHS' announcement.
"When the experience for the international traveler improves, the U.S. economy improves, and again this administration deserves praise for pressing ahead with innovative policies that simultaneously bolster national security and streamline the customs entry process," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. "Customs preclearance is a program that has proven itself effective, and extending it to these key travel markets will undoubtedly boost visitation. As a bonus, adding preclearance facilities will further relieve pressure on the customs entry process here on our shores, improving the system generally."
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