IDEMIA Wins Contract for South African Airport Biometrics Project

IDEMIA will deploy its Passenger Flow Facilitation (PFF) solution across nine South African airports, thanks to a contract from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), which operates the airports.

The arrangement is part of a broader digital transformation project that has been underway for several months. This past summer, ACSA revealed that this would entail the implementation of a biometric border control system in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs. The system would be based on facial recognition, using the technology to match travelers to the biometric data in their passports.

In announcing its involvement in the project, IDEMIA hinted that the biometric traveler processing system may involve additional modalities beyond facial recognition, noting that its expertise in biometrics enables it “to offer advanced fingerprint, facial and iris biometric technologies that enhance passenger security while making their experience more seamless.”

IDEMIA says that the airport biometrics project formally began in October and will span a four-year period. The traveler processing technology will be deployed in three phases. In the first phase, e-gates will be delivered to the country’s three main international airports: OR Tambo, Cape Town, and King Shaka.

The overarching PFF solution, dubbed “ID2Travel”, is expected to be fully deployed across all nine airports in 2026.

“We are looking forward to working with ACSA on this historic and ambitious partnership, which will ultimately ensure a safer and smoother passenger experience at these nine South African airports,” said Matt Cole, IDEMIA’s EVP of Public Security and Identity.

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December 8, 2023 – by Alex Perala