Dublin Airport Enhances Immigration Process with SITA Technology

Certain passengers arriving at Dublin Airport are now able to avail of self-service immigration control thanks to a pilot of automated border control (ABC) gates put in place by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).

The gates at Dublin Airport are currently processing up to 1,000 passengers a day, in as few as 7.5 seconds each.

“Border control arrangements at Dublin Airport are currently undergoing major change. Immigration control processes are being reviewed and leading-edge border technology such as automated gates is being tested,” said Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D. “Many major European airports are adopting a similar trend towards the deployment of automated gates for immigration control functions to enhance passengers’ experience on arrival at airports while also strengthening border security. The trial period will test the suitability of e-gates for use at Dublin airport with a view to providing a more secure and efficient means for clearing passengers through immigration control. I look forward to receiving recommendations on the future use of such technology on conclusion of the trials.”

SITA uses the latest biometric technology to provide accurate and fast checks of passengers. The system captures the individual’s biometric - in Dublin this is facial recognition - cross checks it with the biometric contained on the passport and against border authority checklists, and verifies access in a matter of seconds.

A core element in this solution is NEC’s “NeoFace” face recognition software which provides high accuracy and selectivity regardless of the database size and image quality. This, combined with the sophisticated gates provided by Kaba, results in a seamless experience for the passenger and the removal of the “stand for a photo” request that most other systems require.

Dan Ebbinghaus, SITA Vice President, Government Solutions, said, “SITA has extensive experience in dealing with the challenges facing border control authorities around the globe; in the region of 30 Governments use our iBorders systems to keep their borders secure. Our gates in use in Dublin provide a fast and seamless experience for the passenger. Importantly, because they combine our air transport industry experience and market knowledge with the fastest and most accurate face recognition software in the market, they also ensure accuracy and speed for border control and airport authorities.”

SITA’s gates will be at Dublin Airport until October.