Princess Juliana International Airport, located on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten, has completed the first phase of an automation program with the installation of six self-service security checkpoint eGates from identification technology developer Vision-Box.
Passengers simply scan their bar coded boarding pass (BCBP) at the new self-service eGates to enter the airport’s departure hall. The eGates, integrated with the airport’s common-use infrastructure, offer a fast security control procedure, validating the authenticity of the boarding pass and confirming the passenger’s eligibility to enter the restricted area.
The next stage of the airport’s automation initiative will involve the deployment of automated border control (ABC) gates to help expedite the emigration process. At the ABC gates, passengers will be able to automatically authenticate their passport and have a photo taken, to be matched to the one stored on the passport’s chip. Upon successful authentication, the passenger will cross the border and proceed through the airport security screening. In turn, passengers arriving at the island will be able to use self-service immigration control kiosks, supplied by the technology development division of Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR).
Larry Donker, deputy managing director of Princess Juliana International Airport, said, “Automation has and continues to revolutionize the aviation industry. With self-service solutions being the new standard in the industry, Princess Juliana airport is making leaps and bounds toward its vision of offering passengers an experience that will move them.”
Jean-François Lennon, vice-president for global business development and sales, Vision-Box, said, “This is indeed just the beginning. With the latest generation of passenger identification technology in place, Princess Juliana International Airport is embracing the new era of aviation. In addition to the modernization of passenger experience, the airport will soon be ready to benefit from a game-changing asset made possible by the conjunction of a single token approach using biometrics, smartly combined with advance passenger information/passenger name record (API/PNR) solutions.”