URUGUAY. Carrasco International Airport has implemented a self-service border control procedure in a bid to reduce waiting times and drive retail spend.
The Automated Border Control (ABC) eGates have been set up in Arrivals and provide passport authentication, background checks and biometric passenger verification. They are made by Vision-Box.
The implementation of an automated border control system is a first for a Uruguayan airport. It forms a vital part of a wider ‘Easy Airport’ investment programme, which aims to improve the airport experience for passengers.
Puerta del Sur CTO Ricardo Cerri said: “The new procedure will have a huge impact in streamlining the passenger journey at the airport, especially with the reduction of waiting times.
“We are expecting a reduction of transaction times per person in migratory procedures to drop around 65%, which is a direct benefit to the user of Easy Airport, but also for the users of manual booths, which will also be relieved from congestion.”
All Uruguayan citizens over 18 with either an electronic passport or identity card are eligible to use the Easy Airport system, which is available for all international flights. Argentine citizens are expected to be able to use the eGates at a future date.
The Easy Airport programme has also modernised other border control procedures. Travel document readers and finger print scanners were introduced in 2014 into manual document control procedures for arriving and departing passengers. New touchpoints have been added to manned control booths in an attempt to streamline processes, and an Automated Immigration Control system from Vision-Box is being used to help border guards identify passengers.
Easy Airport is part of a wider initiative called SISCA (Integrated Airport Security and Control System). The programme aims to use new technologies and procedures to control and secure airport facilities, verify passengers and cargo, and facilitate a better airport experience for passengers.
The ultimate aim is to implement an End-to-End Passenger Flow system based on a single biometric token covering most of the passenger identification touch-points such as security checkpoints and self-boarding gates. The airport will also implement Vision-Box’s ‘orchestra’ common-use based suite of intelligence tools, which is said to enable “informed decision-making and data-driven airport management”.
The airport said the introduction of the integrated border management solution and the implementation of SISCA would offer significant data capture opportunities.
