Details on Gatwick airport biometrics deployment emerge as Algeria and Pune announce plans

Gatwick Airport is planning to extend its biometric facial recognition checks to eight more departure gates following the planned extension of its runway in 2022, according to The Telegraph. The implementation would be the first permanent roll-out of the technology to a British airport, the report says.

Gatwick unveiled a five-year investment plan including biometric e-gates in August, for which the new details have emerged.

The airport hopes to reduce wait times and line-up lengths with passport-free boarding checks, and has found that more than 90 percent of approximately 20,000 passengers who have tested the biometric technology so far found it easy and fast.

Heathrow Airport has also announced a £50 million project which includes a deployment of end-to-end biometrics which has been called “the biggest single deployment of biometric technology in the world.”

Algeria deploys Sita technology

Houari Boumediene International Airport in Algieria has selected Sita to provide key technologies for its new international terminal.

Sita’s Airport Management Solution will be used to manage airport operations from the terminal to the airfield with a centralized system. Passenger processing, baggage handling, and the allocation of resources across the terminal can all be controlled with a single system, according to a company announcement.

The deployment includes 156 common-use check-in boarding gates and a dozen self-service kiosks for airlines operating in the new terminal, and SITA has also implemented a baggage reconciliation system.

The new terminal 4 is expected to serve 10 million passengers a year, increasing the overall capacity of the airport to 18 million.

NEC facial recognition coming to Pune

The Pune International Airport in Lohegaon is planning to deploy NEC’s facial recognition technology to checkpoints for entry, security, and aircraft boarding for paperless travel, the Hindustan Times reports.

The Rs 140 million (roughly US$2 million) project with NEC Tech India under the industry-led Digi Yatra initiative is intended to ensure seamless travel processes and reduce waiting times.

“The initiative will benefit the passengers and all stakeholders involved in the process. Airport operators will have the required travel information of passengers in advance which will help in better planning within the terminal,” comments Lohegaon Airport Director Ajay Kumar.

The contract between NEC and the Airport Authority of India includes operation and maintenance for seven years after implementation.

Privacy concerns have lately been voiced by some in India over the provision of biometric services including the capture of personal information by companies based overseas for Digi Yatra, in the absence of a national data privacy law.

Article Topics

ABC gates  |  Algeria  |  Digi Yatra  |  facial recognition  |  India  |  NEC  |  SITA  |  UK