Europe’s leading multinational technology company, dedicated to improving the quality and security in government services, travel and border control, has announced the launch of automated pre-security gates at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan, the second largest airport in the Vinci Group, handling over 30 million passengers annually.
Vision-Box has successfully implemented five banks of 12 pre-security gates (GT11) at Terminal 1 of the Kansai International Airport, operational from Monday, July 27, 2020. The partnership supports Kansai Airports’ wider efforts to promote a ‘Fast Travel’ experience for passengers, allowing for a smoother departure procedure. By automating the boarding pass confirmation procedure at the departure gate, the self-scan will replace the need for inspectors to manually check and scan passenger boarding passes, speeding up the overall travel experience.
The launch of the automated gates comes at a pivotal moment for Kansai International Airport, allowing for fast contactless operation, helping prevent the spread of infectious diseases especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking about the launch of the automated gates, Jeremy Goldstrich, COO at Kansai Aiports said: “We are delighted to partner with Vision-Box to implement cutting edge contactless automated gates at Terminal 1, allowing for a seamless travel experience for passengers. By automating the boarding pass confirmation procedure at the departure gate, we will realize a smoother departure procedure. Until now, an inspector took a boarding pass from the customer in front of the international security checkpoint and read it with a scanner to determine whether or not to pass it. Kansai Airports will continue to proactively introduce cutting-edge technology to improve the convenience of the airport and provide a comfortable and new travel experience.”
Speaking about the partnership Miguel Leitmann, CEO of Vision-Box, said: “We are delighted to announce a partnership with Kansai Airports. This is another positive step forward in increasing our presence in the country as we aim to deliver innovate projects which focus on seamless travel and identity management. We believe that the team at Kansai International Airport share our vision to modernize and change the landscape of the travel and aviation industry for the better. While Vision-Box continues to drive such technology in the field, Japan is no doubt one of the leaders in technological development and this partnership is testament to our hard work and expertise in delivering such innovation.”
This latest partnership is another successful milestone for Vision-Box, who have continued to pioneer seamless technology innovations to optimize the flow of travelers both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Vision-Box has been at the forefront of contactless automation technology, having installed Europe’s first facial recognition e-Gate at Faro International Airport in 2007. Today, the company’s key partners and customers include the UK Home Office, US CBP, London Gatwick Airport, Eurostar, Air Asia, Emirates, KLM, Dubai Airport, Schiphol Airport, Bangalore International Airport and JFK.
Vision-Box is also working closely with The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) and other industry organizations to launch a second phase of measures to rebuild global consumer confidence to encourage the return of travelling, which will focus on safe and efficient solutions to get the travel sector functioning near normal conditions. Vision Box also recently published a focused, high-level industry survey of the world’s top airports, airlines, and government agencies titled the ‘Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation sector,’ which found 63% of organizations in the aviation, airline sector and government agencies seek to implement biometric technologies at airports for contactless travel.
Opening in 1994, Kansai International Airport is situated just 50km from the city centre of Osaka. It is Japan’s first 24-hour operated airport and it has established itself as one of Japan’s and Asia’s most important airports in which it serves as an important base for key airlines such as All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, and Nippon Cargo Airlines.
