Vision-Box, a leader in seamless travel, automated border management, and electronic identity management solutions, outlined its vision for the future of travel at the World Aviation Festival (WAF) in London, Dec 1 and 2.
Jeff Lennon, the vice president of Strategic Sales and Global Partnerships at Vision-Box, spearheaded the discussions on the role of seamless biometric and contactless technologies, as part of a discussion panel on biometrics and automation.
Highlighting the scope of automated technologies in reducing passenger processing times, Lennon spotlighted Vision-Box’s work with clients around the globe: “The U.S., Canada and Australia have done a great job with having a digital process in place. The UK along with the UKVI, have been ahead of the curve in enabling digital gates, meaning you don’t need to present a physical visa at a border.
“The EU next year will have digital stamping of passports and electronic visas. There are already a lot of measures in place and many countries are now equipped to enable travelers to access borders with very little physical paperwork.”
Other members of the panel included Catherine Phillips, Innovation Architect Technology Heathrow Airport Ltd; Maurice Jenkins, CIO, Miami Dade County; Tony Chapman, Director, Industry Affairs, Alliances and Strategic Initiatives, Collins Aerospace; Pablo Lopez Loeches, Head of Technological Surveillance Department, Aena; Emiliano Sorrenti, CIO, A.D.R. and moderated by Billy Shallow, Director of Innovation and Technology, Airports Council International Europe, ACI EUROPE
At the World Aviation Festival, Vision-Box demonstrated its seamless orchestra e-gates and biometric technologies to visitors, which enable passengers to seamlessly access airports from check-in to boarding without having to present any documents including passports.
Speaking about the need to protect passenger’s data and privacy, Lennon called for a Europe-wide collaboration to set the industry standard: “We are here to help to futurize the system so we can own our own identity, most likely via our mobile phones. We have all the tools but it’s about the whole industry including airports, airlines and agencies grouping together and going to the data protection agencies and explain the benefits of self-sovereign identity. If the citizen is aware of how their data is being used then they should be able to opt-in or out and choose whether they are part of the program, but that is not yet the case."
Vision-Box is ahead of EU and North America legislations that lead and govern data privacy and security, with all its biometric solutions securing the Privacy By Design Certification, ensuring passenger information are strictly protected. The company does not hold any passenger data, and all information is held by the relevant airlines, airports or border control agencies if a passenger opts to sign up for a seamless travel experience.
With the new Omicron variant posing a concern for countries and travelers, Lennon believes the travel sector will need to enable safe contactless travel. Lennon said: “The travel sector has been reeling under the pressure of COVID-19 and its variants for nearly two years now, and what has been clear is that the world will continue to deal with some form of the virus for at least the next couple of years. The omicron variant is probably a challenging one as it appeared just before the start of the holiday season and the new year. What the sector needs here is to demonstrate the preparedness to safely enable seamless and less-intrusive travel, while at the same time building consumer confidence to return to airports, board aircrafts and venture out onto their destinations.
“Contactless biometric based technologies are the key here – both for consumers to regain confidence and for airports and airlines to effectively manage crowds and cut down bottlenecks created by the additional paperwork. By implementing touchless automated technologies, passengers can confidently walk into the airport and speed through the processes, from check-in to boarding, without the need to interact with another person.
“Airports and airlines which are investing now in upgrading their infrastructure to seamless travel technologies are getting ahead of the curve, will stand to withstand periodical pressures from the evolving pandemic and its variants, and ultimately recover the fastest.”
With 2021 drawing to a close, Vision-Box’s participation at the World Aviation Festival comes at an important moment for the industry – as it navigates the challenge of COVID-19 and charts a recovery for 2022. To help airports, airlines, and border forces safely operate during COVID-19 and beyond, Vision-Box has been implementing seamless and automated biometric control solutions for clients including London Gatwick, the UK Home Office, New York JFK, AirAsia, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Emirates Airline, Dubai International Airport and Schiphol.
