Biometric boarding trialled at Ljubljana Airport

NEWS FLASH

Amadeus has trialled biometric boarding procedures at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport in cooperation with Adria Airways and LOT Polish Airlines in an attempt to reduce boarding time and procedures. A total of 175 passengers were successfully boarder in record time. The system sees passengers enrol using an Amadeus smartphone app that captures a ‘selfie’ alongside their passport photo and boarding pass, which are all securely stored on a remote server. A photo of the passenger is then captured at the boarding gate and matched against those stored on the server to validate the passenger’s identity and flight status. Upon a successful match, a message is sent to the Departure Control System and the passenger is able to board smoothly. All biometric data is then deleted within 48 hours ensuring GDPR compliance. As a result, average boarding times reduced by approximately 75% at Ljubljana Airport, meaning boarding took just two seconds, rather than the typical five to ten seconds per passenger. The new technology promises to enhance the passenger experience by making boarding faster, simpler and more secure.

Mišel Mencinger from Adria Airways' Ground Operations, said, “This pilot project supports Adria Airways' strategy to make boarding smoother and more efficient and further improve the experience of our passengers. We are very encouraged by the results of the pilot project with high levels of passenger satisfaction and a significant reduction in average boarding times. Biometrics offer the industry another technological leap that will improve how people travel”. Boštjan Rakovec, the Head of IT at Fraport Slovenija, noted, “We recently began a partnership with Amadeus, undergoing a full-scale modernisation of our IT systems. Innovation is our focus and biometrics is an area we feel Ljubljana can stand out by helping airlines improve decades-old processes”.

The pilot project at Ljubljana Airport focused specifically on improving how passengers board the aircraft, although the platform is designed to work across all ID verification pain points, including check-in, security, lounge access and boarding. Amadeus has also delivered solutions in territories where border agencies act as custodians of biometric data. For example, Amadeus is currently working at San Jose Norman Y. Mineta Airport in the United States to provide CBP-TVS biometric exit solutions. The Amadeus biometric solution will be made available later this year.