The French biometric product company Morpho (Safran) reports that it launched the SmartGate Plus trial at Auckland International Airport in New Zealand in June. SmartGate Plus is Morpho’s automated border control product. New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) will be testing the system during an operational trial at Auckland Airport with over 2,000 passengers per week expected to trial SmartGate Plus.
Since 2009, New Zealand’s Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch airports have been using SmartGate to give eligible travellers the option of self-processing through passport control. The system uses facial recognition to compare facial images of the traveller against the data contained in the e-Passport’s chip. The firm reports six millions travellers having used SmartGate, and over 70 per cent of eligible travellers currently using the system.
The firm says that their product is eliminating the kiosk and ticket part of the current system. It uses e-gates that have a smaller footprint to meet the space constraints of airports whilst also having Morpho’s workflow and biometric matching software. The company adds that the product could add other biometric capabilities such as fingerprint and iris recognition.
Geoff Wilson, Customs Manager Passenger Facilitation at New Zealand Customs Service, says: “The success of SmartGate in New Zealand has been phenomenal with six million people having successfully used the technology since it was introduced in 2009. The biometric self-processing technology has streamlined passenger processing and provided a secure, efficient way to clear passport control and we are pleased to be involved in testing the next generation SmartGate Plus.
“SmartGate Plus is a clear reflection of our collaborative approach with New Zealand Customs to create, build and deploy the next generation in border control solutions”, stated Bruno Pattyn, Managing Director of Morpho’s local subsidiary, Morpho Australasia. This new technology has the capability to further simplify and speed up border processing in order to meet ever-evolving border challenges across the region.”For more information: www.morpho.com
