Automating passenger processing using border kiosk technology has the potential to provide a solution that is secure, efficient and innovative – all of which may work together to transform the traveller experience. Chris Gilliland, Director of Innovative Travel Solutions, Vancouver Airport Authority, briefs Ross Falconer on the first implementation of BORDERXPRESS in Europe at Pafos and Larnaka airports.
The BORDERXPRESS technology devel-oped by Innovative Travel Solutions, an independent business unit of Vancouver International Airport (YVR), had, as of the end of 2018, processed almost 250 million passengers at 42 airport and seaport locations around the world. Significantly, the first implementation of BORDERXPRESS in Europe took place at Pafos and Larnaka airports in July 2018, with the installation of 74 kiosks.
The kiosks are fully accessible to all pas-sengers regardless of age or mobility, and can be configured with up to 35 languages. They can, therefore, essentially process any pas-senger, including families travelling as a group.
BORDERXPRESS uses self-service, biom-etric-enabled kiosks in a two-step process to expedite border clearance, and is said to reduce passenger wait times by more than 60%. “This leads to overall operating efficiency and space savings by more than 50%, because it allows airports to expand passenger traffic without having to add addi-tional space or staffing resources,” explains Chris Gilliland, Director of Innovative Travel Solutions, Vancouver Airport Authority. “The kiosks also allow border officers to focus on maintaining the safety of the border, which is of paramount importance to airports and a condition of governments when considering automation.”
