Vancouver International Airport’s Innovative Travel Solutions (ITS) has announced the installation of 74 BORDERXPRESS kiosks at Paphos International Airport and Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus. This marks a major milestone for the industry and ITS, as it is the first implementation of permanent kiosks for entry and exit border control in Europe.
Hermes Airports Ltd, operating Paphos and Larnaca airports, is installing the kiosks to enable passengers to independently complete passport control procedures under the supervision of Hermes personnel and with the approval of Cyprus Police.
BORDERXPRESS uses self-service biometric-enabled kiosks to expedite the border clearance process without compromising security. The entry and exit processes are the same in that, at the kiosk, travellers select their language, scan their travel documents and answer a few simple questions. The kiosk also captures an image of each passenger’s face, which can be compared with and verified against the photo in their electronic passport, though the kiosks do accept non-ePassports and EU identity documents as well. Travellers then take their completed kiosk receipt to a border services officer. The exit kiosks are available for use by all travellers while the entry kiosks are only available to EU citizens due to government specifications.
This technology was developed by Innovative Travel Solutions, an independent business unit within Vancouver International Airport.