Biometrics tenders planned for Pakistan, Zimbabwe airports

The Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) is seeking international partners as it prepares to install civil aviation security systems — with an emphasis on biometrics.

The plan is currently in its funding phase with $450 million earmarked for the project aimed at enhancing passenger safety, safeguarding cargo and reducing airline operational costs, The Southern Eye reports.

“We are still working on funding modalities before going to tender,” ACZ CEO Tawanda Gusha said.“All systems will be using modern technology, including biometrics.” He added that the investment also has the potential to reduce airline insurance premiums.

The drive is part of the country’s ambition to transform into a regional transit hub and expand passenger handling capacity to 9.2 million annually, from the current 5.5 million. The upgrades to aviation security infrastructure are being planned for major airports across Zimbabwe, which are Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls International Airport.

In 2023 ACZ sought potential partners for the development of small airports in the country. Tourism operators and officials are looking to rebuild the country’s tourism industry, which has lagged since the travel bans forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zimbabwe has also been steadily rolling out biometrics at its land borders.

Pakistan to launch airport e-gates within two years

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) is planning to launch e-gates at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports. Germany’s M2P Consulting is handling the planning, design and installation of the e-gates, with the entire process scheduled for completion within 24 months.

M2P Consulting will provide technical supervision and guide contractors through a “competitive tendering process,” according to a government press statement. With biometrics a key part of airport e-gates, the launch is part of the broader story of automation and convenience trending at travel hubs worldwide.

Managing Partner of M2P Consulting Christophe Mostert and Kashif S. Jillani, director of engineering services, PAA, signed the e-gates feasibility and installation project agreement in a ceremony held at PAA headquarters.

Surveys at Lahore and Islamabad airports have been completed, with the survey at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport in process. The e-gate system will be integrated with ICAO protocols and local airport agency systems.

Chongqing Airport, Dubai International, Noi Bai International invest in biometrics

At Chongqing Airport in China, Gunnebo has declared the opening of the smart boarding channel solution. T3 of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport has deployed face biometrics and a passenger behavior analysis system to smooth passenger traffic at one of China’s busiest airports.

Gunnebo says the system uses multispectral facial recognition to perform liveness detection and identity comparisons within 0.3 seconds with 99.98 percent accuracy. The comparisons are also completed while passengers walk, which the company says has increased throughput from 180 passengers per hour during morning rush hour to 320 passengers, for a 70 percent reduction in queuing time.

More than 150 of Gunnebo’s biometric boarding systems have been installed at Chongqing terminal 3.

Meanwhile, Dubai International (DXB) is set to invest heavily in face biometrics as a core strategy to enhance passenger journeys in one of the world’s busiest transit hubs. The strategy aims to expand to handling 120 million passengers, Dubai Airport CEO Paul Griffths said, as reported by Gulf News. The airport welcomed 92 million passengers in 2024.

The investment is designed to “eke out that last bit of capacity” as DXB will gradually be phased out in the long-term. This is because all operations will eventually be moved to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), which will expand until it becomes the world’s largest airport, according to Dubai’s officials.

“I rather think that as we get towards DWC’s full scale of operations, the focus will shift there, DXB will close and we’ll redevelop the area,” Griffiths said. “It will spread the city out.” The airport CEO estimated the timeline for the transition to be “around ten years.”

Dubai International has also launched an “Unlimited Smart Travel” service in the First and Business Class lounges at Terminal 3. This comes via upgrades to the long-operational “Smart Tunnel” which employs face biometrics for identity verification. The system’s technology providers are emaratech and Vision-Box. It avoids ID document checks and can process 10 passengers within 14 seconds simultaneously as they walk through the tunnel.

In Vietnam, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air passengers taking domestic flights from Noi Bai International Airport can now use biometric authentication via VNeID to complete check-in procedures. The biometric systems are operational at five security checkpoints and fifteen boarding gates in Terminal 1 of Noi Bai International Airport, which is the main airport serving Hanoi, the country’s capital.

Automated gates have also been fitted at Da Nang International Airport in Vietnam, with Vision-Box the gate supplier at both locations and other airports.

SITA advises how under-resourced airports can do more with less

Airports are expecting increases in traffic around the world, but not all airports have sufficient resources to handle the surge. With eight billion passengers predicted by 2043, SITA is forecasting capacity and workforce shortfalls. But the company has advice on the matter.

Andy Smith, director of industry and innovation at SITA, says a potentially more cost-effective and sustainable solution is to join the worldwide trend for digital borders. Speaking to Regional Gateway, the director highlighted the biometric transformation underway while immigration procedures are being innovated on.

In IATA’s 2024 Global Passenger Survey, for example, 45 percent of those surveyed expressed a desire to complete immigration procedures before arriving at the airport, while the adoption of digital travel systems is being driven by the younger generation of travellers.

“A digital border moves the parameters of existing border management right back to the time of booking a ticket and the moment when a passenger applies for a digital pre-clearance in the form of an eVisa, traditional entry visa or ETA,” Smith said.

Smith mentioned Aruba, in the Caribbean, as an outstanding example of employing digital solutions for travel, while globally the trend for digital wallets and digital identities plays out.

SITA Senior Vice President Jeremy Springall has observed that digital identity is transforming the travel journey, from digital pre-clearance to biometric verification. Springall has called for a more open, industry-wide approach as piecemeal solutions create a “patchwork of disconnected experiences.” Instead, interoperability is scalable across different borders, airlines and airports.

The senior VP points to governments around the world implementing digital IDs, and that extending this to travel through Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs) is a “logical next step.” Springall believes this next step would help governments improve border security, enable airlines to streamline operations, improve passenger flow in airports while reducing costs and inefficiencies.

Article Topics

ABC gates  |  airports  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  digital travel  |  Dubai  |  Emaratech  |  face biometrics  |  Gunnebo  |  Pakistan  |  passenger processing  |  SITA  |  tender  |  Vision-Box  |  Zimbabwe