Minsait speeds up border control in airports

Minsait, an Indra company, has completed the deployment of its biometric border control systems (Automatic Border Control - ABC System) at Madrid and Malaga airports, which will speed up the passage of legal age citizens of the European Economic Area who pass through them from non-EU countries. In addition, installation of the solution in Ibiza is planned to be completed by the end of the year.

The company has rolled out a total of 118 systems in these two airports, in addition to those previously deployed in Barcelona, Girona, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante and Tenerife Sur, which significantly streamlines the entire control process. The sum total, including the port of Algeciras, which installed this system in 2015, and the next one, at Ibiza Airport, will amount to 261 installations.

The systems are an effective solution to handle the increase in the number of passengers who are processed at airports around the world, while raising passengers’ security and comfort levels as they move through the airport.

This new deployment represents a technological evolution with respect to the systems that have been in operation since 2010 in terms of increased reliability of biometric checks, processing security, solution flexibility and component integration consistent with the natural flow of travelers.

The solution mainly consists of a gateway in which the traveler enters his or her electronic ID or passport. Each installation has a sensor to verify fingerprints and facial recognition cameras. The system collects traveler's information of the biometric parameters and contrasts it with the one that the electronic document bears, while verifying the latter's authenticity and cross-checks it with the police databases. The entire process is completed in just a few seconds, and the traveler can then pass through the border crossing gate.

These projects are part of the framework agreement for the supply of automatic border control equipment in the airports of the Aena network, signed with Minsait and three other companies for an overall amount of €90 million at the end of 2017, as a result of the application of Regulation (EU) 2017/458 of the European Parliament and the Council of March 15, 2017 amending Regulation (EU) 2016/399 with respect to the controls reinforcement through verification of relevant databases at the external borders.

In addition, Minsait is working on the next generation of automatic border control systems within the framework of the Smart Borders Program, co-funded by the European Commission, whose objective is the technological evolution of controls at the external borders in order to optimize transit, extending the use of automatic systems to non-EU nationals and at the same time improving control over irregular stays in the Schengen area

Within this initiative, the company leads the European ABC4EU project co-funded by the European Commission within the 7th Framework Program in which 15 partners participate (industry, research centers, SMEs and end users). Its objective is to harmonize the ABC systems management throughout the continent to ensure that the traveler does not perceive differences in their use, regardless of the country in which they are located or the provider that has implemented them. Work is also ongoing so that any traveler can use them, regardless of whether or not he or she is a national of a country in the Schengen area.

To this end, the project has focused on innovative action in the biometric processing of travelers through algorithms that have been validated in operating environments with real travelers, such as facial recognition in movement, fingerprint verification adapted to border conditions or the multi-biometric combination of finger and facial features.

About Minsait

Minsait, an Indra company (www.minsait.com), is a leading firm in Digital Transformation Consultancy and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America. Minsait possesses a high degree of specialization and knowledge of the sector, which it backs up with its high capability to integrate the core world with the digital world, its leadership in innovation and digital transformation, and its flexibility. Thus, it focuses its offering on high-impact value propositions, based on end-to-end solutions, with a remarkable degree of segmentation, which enables it to achieve tangible impacts for its customers in each industry with a transformational focus. Its capabilities and leadership are demonstrated in its product range, under the brand Onesait, and its across-the-board range of services.

About Indra

Indra (www.indracompany.com) is one of the leading global technology and consulting companies and the technological partner for core business operations of its customers world-wide. It is a world-leader in providing proprietary solutions in specific segments in Transport and Defense markets, and a leading firm in Digital Transformation Consultancy and Information Technologies in Spain and Latin America through its affiliate Minsait. Its business model is based on a comprehensive range of proprietary products, with a high-value focus and with a high innovation component. In the 2017 financial year, Indra achieved revenue of €3.011 billion, with 40,000 employees, a local presence in 46 countries and business operations in over 140 countries.