International travellers at Auckland Airport will soon clear security screening before passport control, reversing the current order as part of a major overhaul to bring domestic jet and international travel under one roof.
The change, nicknamed "the Flip", is already underway in the international terminal and will mean all international travellers are screened by security first before reaching border processing by the end of 2027.
Auckland Airport chief operations officer Chloe Surridge said the work is part of the move for domestic jet and international travellers to share one building.
"The changes we're making through the passport control area will support a future-ready border process," she said.
"By end-2027, all international travellers will go through security screening first and then proceed through passport control for border processing, and some construction activity will continue through this area to the start of 2029. This change in sequencing will pave the way for how travellers are processed through the new terminal, within one building."
The project is being run alongside New Zealand Customs Service and the Civil Aviation Authority, which provides the Aviation Security Service.
New Zealand Customs Service assistant comptroller air operations Craig Chitty said the reordering reflected international best practice and would improve safety.
"It creates a clearer separation between security screening and border control functions, and it supports greater safety for all," Chitty said.
He said Customs would soon begin an eGate replacement programme at the airport, timed to run alongside "the Flip" to keep disruption down.
Civil Aviation Authority deputy chief executive aviation security Fred Stein said screening travellers earlier strengthened the airport's defences.
"It reduces the risk of unscreened passengers reaching secure areas and strengthens the layers of security that help keep passengers and New Zealand's aviation system safe," Stein said.
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