Athens Airport has become the first in Europe to trial SITA’s Smart Path biometric identity verification platform. This means that people flying with Aegean Airlines will be able to participate in the new trial phase.
Travellers must first scan their passport and have their photo taken when they check in at the airport, and the Smart Path system will then allow them to pass through security checkpoints and board their planes with only a facial recognition scan.
Alexandros Ziomas, Acting Director of IT&T Business Unit at Athens International Airport, said that the Smart Path “has reduced the time taken to check in and verify passenger identity at security to only a few seconds,” said Alexandros Ziomas, the Acting Director of the IT&T Business Unit at Athens International Airport. “It will solve a key challenge for us by ensuring a steady flow of passengers to the security area.”
Build on top of the airport’s existing gates and kiosks, it will be easier to expand the scope of the platform if the trial goes well. “Most airports around the world already have self-service infrastructure in place,” said SITA Europe President Sergio Colella. “Installing Smart Path is cost-effective and easy to implement and the passenger experience is tremendously positive.”
Other airports that have introduced SITA’s Smart Path platform that was implemented in 2016 are Brisbane and Orlando airports. The company hopes to expand to many more locations at the biomatic airport screening option grows in popularity.