SITA installs automated passport control kiosks at Abu Dhabi Airport

Air transport and government IT firm SITA announced that Abu Dhabi International Airport is now using SITA’s new automated passport control kiosks, which enables passengers travelling to the United States to pre-clear U.S. Customs and Immigration.

Introduced in December 2014, SITA’s self-service kiosks use biometric technology to streamline border control procedures and process passengers securely in under a minute.

Using the new kiosks in Abu Dhabi, passengers are able to provide their travel documents, biometric data and customs declaration before interacting with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, which boosts efficiency by off-loading work from the immigration counters to the kiosks.

SITA partnered with the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency as well as Abu Dhabi Airports and United Arab Emirates airline Etihad, on this project.

“SITA is pioneering solutions in self-service border technology all around the world,” said Hani El-Assaad, president of SITA Middle East, India and Africa. “Our APC kiosks use the latest biometrics to facilitate fast, accurate and secure passenger processing at the border.

“This ensures that airports, airlines and governments can provide a warm welcome, while still providing a high level of border security. For airports like Abu Dhabi which are experiencing strong passenger growth, these kinds of automated solutions are becoming increasingly important to help manage greater volumes of passengers securely and efficiently.”

All passengers from the United States, Canada and the 38 countries that are a member of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program are eligible to use the kiosks in Abu Dhabi for self-service immigration.

Passengers scan their passports to identify themselves, as well as provide their fingerprints and allow the camera on the kiosk to capture their face biometric.

The passport and biometric data captured is then cross-referenced to verify the passenger’s identity and then compared to government watch lists.

The kiosk touch screen then prompts the passenger to answer several immigration questions, and once cleared, it prints out a receipt to show an immigration officer as they exit the customs hall.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  eGates  |  face photo  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  kiosk  |  Saudi Arabia  |  SITA