OR Tambo Airport Faces Disruptions Due to Biometric System Failure

OR Tambo International Airport, South Africa’s primary aviation hub, has faced operational disruptions this month due to technical issues affecting its biometric movement control system. The system failure has disrupted passenger processing procedures at the facility, marking the latest setback in South Africa’s troubled implementation of airport biometric systems.

The disruption follows a series of challenges with biometric systems at South African airports. In early 2023, Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) suspended its Chief Information Officer amid allegations of misconduct related to a biometric system procurement contract. Subsequently, Acsa terminated its contract with IDEMIA, the French technology firm initially selected to implement the biometric identity system across South African airports.

The disruption coincides with additional operational challenges at the airport, including refueling difficulties acknowledged by Acsa, the facility’s operator. These concurrent issues have affected normal airport operations and passenger movement during one of the facility’s busiest travel periods.

In response to these technical difficulties, Acsa has announced plans to implement additional infrastructure, including a bypass line that will serve as a backup system to prevent similar disruptions in the future. This redundancy measure follows similar approaches adopted by other international airports, such as Vision-Box’s implementation at Princess Juliana International Airport, which includes backup verification procedures.

“Acsa has apologized for the inconvenience caused by these issues,” the airport authority stated in its official communication, “assuring passengers that all efforts are being made to resolve the current system failure as quickly as possible.”

OR Tambo International Airport serves as South Africa’s largest aviation facility and a crucial transportation hub for the region. The biometric movement control system is part of the airport’s passenger processing infrastructure, designed to facilitate efficient traveler verification and movement through the terminal. The system is intended to comply with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for biometric border control and aims to enhance both security and passenger processing efficiency.

The current system failure represents a significant challenge for South Africa’s broader initiatives to modernize its aviation infrastructure and bring it in line with global standards for biometric passenger processing. It comes at a time when airports worldwide are increasingly adopting sophisticated biometric solutions to streamline operations and enhance security measures.

Sources: BusinessTech, MyBroadband, Moneyweb

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December 17, 2024 – by the ID Tech Editorial Team