ACIS – Fully Automated Check-in, Security and Border Control/Smart Visa

Efficient, seamless and secure travel, without queuing at consular services, security check points or borders may soon become a reality. Travellers will benefit from a host of solutions, including e-passports, smart visas and automated kiosks for biometric identification that uses face, fingerprint, iris or voice ID to enable faster processing than traditional travel documents. Other solutions, such as intelligent risk-class allocation, luggage walk-through scanning and behaviour checks will expedite travel processes and allow a greater focus on high-risk individuals.

Figure 20 shows the functionalities of ACIS, from electronic-visa application to check-in, security screening, lounge access and boarding, all the way to immigration and e-customs.

An illustration of a typical user journey is provided below (see Figure 21). A video illustrating the ACIS solution can be viewed at http://youtu.be/hRyv0aLgsxw.

Industry Impact

Airports will require substantial funds for the new security infrastructure, but they can benefit from process improvements leading to optimized passenger throughput and costs. Accelerated security procedures will increase the attractiveness of air travel and customers may spend more time shopping at the airport. Airlines will benefit greatly, without substantial investment, although some limited outlay might be required to facilitate new modes of passport/customs clearance.

Because ACIS will make it easier, it is likely that international travel will grow. The hotel industry, in particular, is expected to benefit from an increase in international guests. Biometric identification, check-in and walk-through security may also gain long-term importance for hotel check-ins, or for efficient passage in other travel hubs, such as train and subway stations.

Governments will benefit from the greater numbers of travellers and tourists. Automation also will lead to lower costs in border control services.

Implementation will directly affect security manufacturers, which will provide the scanning and surveillance hardware, and software companies, which will provide the solutions to handle large volumes of complex data efficiently and securely.

Implementation Challenges

• A significant prerequisite is the installation of a legal framework to support the new risk-based security and border processes.
• For customers, the benefits must clearly outweigh the perceived risks in making personal information available to multiple databases across governments. Rules must be laid down and communicated about the types of personal data that can be used, their storage, and sharing and transfer.
• Biometric identification requires registration of every citizen’s information. If some countries choose not to use biometric passports or IDs, this will become a hurdle for full ACIS deployment.
• Behaviour-based scanning will require high predictability and low failure rates to gain public acceptance.
• Governments need to establish bilateral and multilateral agreements on electronic visas and the associated data exchange; this will involve security and immigration agencies, and collaboration with the private sector.
• Countries or airports with budgetary constraints may not be able to deploy this solution. In this case, new partnership models will have to be developed (e.g., with private security companies that set up and manage ACIS security equipment for the airport or country) with fees collected from the traveller.
• Cyber resilience will always be crucial to maintain consumer confidence in a stable and trusted system.

Initial Concepts and Implementation

At present, the deployment of fully automated systems is limited. Dubai International Airport has one of the most advanced automated immigration checking (see Figure 22), with the first biometric iris recognition terminals launched in end-2012. But fully automated security check-in at the airport is still years away. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has developed a concept that combines elements of risk-based security with the enhanced detection capability of advanced screening technologies (see Figure 22). Several individual components are being tried at selected airports, and the first integrated pilot projects are planned for 2014. Further information about IATA’s check point of the future can be found on the IATA website at www.iata.org/whatwedo/security/Pages/checkpoint-future.aspx.