A six month trial of automated border control gates (ABC) egates has started at Dublin Airport. This is the first time that egates have been used in Ireland for immigration purposes.
During the trial period, the operation of these gates will mean that certain passport holders (Irish, EU, EEA and Swiss passengers over 18 years of age) will not be required to present themselves to an Immigration Officer; instead they will have the picture on their passport verified electronically. This is to ensure that the person using the passport is the person to whom it was issued.
The trial is being run in cooperation with the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) and is supported by automated border gate technology provided at no cost to the State by two separate border management solutions companies, SITA and Accenture.
A core element in this solution is NEC’s unsurpassed “NeoFace” face recognition software which provides high accuracy and selectivity regardless of the database size and image quality. The egates are provided by Kaba.
Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D:
“Border control arrangements at Dublin Airport are currently undergoing major change. Immigration control processes are being reviewed and leading-edge border technology such as automated gates is being tested.
“Many major European airports are adopting a similar trend towards the deployment of automated gates for immigration control functions to enhance passengers’ experience on arrival at airports while also strengthening border security. The trial period will test the suitability of egates for use at Dublin airport with a view to providing a more secure and efficient means for clearing passengers through immigration control. I look forward to receiving recommendations on the future use of such technology on conclusion of the trials.”
Located at Pier A/D in Terminal One which facilitates the entry of 4.4 million passengers to the State every year, the egates offer certain categories of arriving passengers a ‘self-service’ channel to clear immigration control rather than the conventional process of presenting at a manned immigration booth. In time it is hope that this will also speed up the entry clearance process for all tourists and travellers. Egates will also help strengthen border security as the technology will allow for the early interception of false documents and illegal entry into the State.
DUB introduced self-service boarding pass scanning, called Autopass, in September 2011. The system enables passengers to scan their own boarding cards to gain entry to the passenger security screening area.
