Shannon Airport in the Republic of Ireland has enhanced its security procedures by installing a new biometric facial recognition system for use by US preclearance passengers.
The screening technology verifies passengers by matching them to their documents. It will not only enhance security but also speed up screening, with airports in the USA now processing up to 10 travelers per minute with the new cutting-edge system. Shannon is the first airport in Europe to adopt the technology for US preclearance purposes.
The program has already been successfully implemented in several US airports and was also extended to Aruba Airport in the Caribbean. The installation of the service is timely for Shannon, with the airport enjoying its busiest period on transatlantic operations for 17 years, with seven services to six destinations.
Niall Maloney, operations director at Shannon Airport, said, “Being the first airport in Europe to have this ground-breaking technology reaffirms Shannon’s status in transatlantic aviation. We were the first to get preclearance and now we’re the first to pilot this technology.
“Ultimately, the big gain here is that this the latest enhancement to passenger services at Shannon. We’re coming to the end of our busiest summer season on transatlantic since the early part of the last decade and anything that speeds up queues and enhances security is a major plus.”
Andrew Murphy, managing director, Shannon Airport, said, “We are delighted that US Customs and Border Protection has selected Shannon for this pilot. We’ve had an excellent working relationship with them since Shannon, in 2009, became the first airport outside the Americas to have US preclearance. This means that we have the most efficient and reliable systems in place for passenger screening for the USA. That’s good for security but also very good for the passenger.”