South Africa’s Airport Authority Begins Biometric Upgrade

A project to bring a biometric upgrade to South Africa’s airports has gotten underway and appears to be on track, according to a new report. Airports Company South Africa says its R100-million (€4.9m) biometric and e-gate project is progressing well, with a rollout expected within the next two years.

The update comes after ACSA awarded a digital transformation project to IDEMIA toward the end of last year, with the French company mandated to provide its Passenger Flow Facilitation (PFF) solution across nine South African airports.

In a note to Tourism Update, ACSA explained that the rollout of biometric and digital identity technology would be phased. The airport operator is leveraging facial recognition technology to streamline immigration processes, reduce transaction times, and enhance security.

However, the initial pilot phase encountered some passenger reluctance due to anxiety and unfamiliarity with the new systems. To address the issue, ACSA has leaned on comprehensive passenger education efforts, including a virtual tour platform on the ACSA app to familiarize travelers with the biometric system and provide travel recommendations.

ACSA will also implement OneID, a unique passenger identifier created through self-enrollment on the ACSA app, which uses facial recognition technology. The system is meant to automate various airport processes, from bag-drop and pre-security to immigration and boarding checks, enhancing efficiency and convenience for passengers. OneID also eliminates the need for physical documentation at certain touchpoints and allows passengers to track their baggage through the system.

The anticipated outcome is a more seamless travel experience with enhanced security by 2026.

Globally, the travel market is expected to double from four billion passengers in 2019 to eight billion by 2040, highlighting the necessity for digital solutions to manage passenger check-ins at security and boarding gates efficiently. A recent white paper titled ‘Face the Future‘ by airport and airline tech provider SITA anticipated that by 2026, over 50 percent of check-ins and baggage drops will use biometrics, with 70 percent of airlines expecting to have biometric ID management in place.

Source: Tourism Update

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June 15, 2024 – by Cass Kennedy and Alex Perala