Spanish authorities checked 199 passengers travelling on 12 flights from Italy on the first day of the measures, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
The checks were conducted at six major airports: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante and Valencia, as Spain and Italy remain at odds over migration and border management.
Madrid announced on Friday that controls on flights and maritime routes arriving from Italy would remain in place until September 7.
The decision came after Italy suspended the Schengen free-movement arrangement with Spain from August 1, citing concerns linked to a major influx of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on July 30.
Italian authorities said the restrictions would primarily target non-EU nationals travelling from Spain by air or sea, while Spanish citizens and other European Union nationals would not be affected.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome wants the temporary measures removed once authorities determine that the security concerns have eased.
“We hope the suspension can be lifted shortly, once the situation is no longer considered a risk,” Tajani told Italy’s Corriere della Sera.
The dispute has raised fresh questions over the future of passport-free movement within Europe.
The Schengen Area covers 29 countries and generally allows people to travel between participating states without routine internal border checks.
However, countries within the zone can temporarily restore border controls when they consider them necessary to address security threats or concerns over public order.
Goodness Anunobi
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