Company insight
Adapting to new passenger processing requirements
Adapting to new security protocols is never easy – for passengers let alone the airports that serve them. Yet that’s exactly what operators across Europe are facing with the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), due to go live next year. Future Airport talks to Miguel Bono Tur from Transoft Solutions and Felix Appler from Hamburg Airport to learn about how the new regulations will impact immigration procedures at airports – and why robust simulation platforms are crucial for shorter wait times.
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irports are constantly changing. From new runways to bigger terminals, operators are always looking to bolster passenger numbers or accommodate more flights, with the US alone currently spending around $70bn on new airport construction projects. And even when the bulldozers are sitting idle, airport managers still have to remain on guard – not least when it comes to new regulations and procedures. Over recent years, after all, countries such as the US and China have sharpened protocols for incoming passengers, with border officials now demanding everything from fingerprints to digital photographs. It’s a similar story in Europe, where the EU is introducing the so-called Entry/ Exit System (EES), due to be active from 2023. But while the EES promises to make the bloc safer by helping officials spot identity fraudsters and over-stayers, it could equally pose problems for airports.
Morning peak at Hamburg Airport Terminal 2 where there are different immigration processors before baggage reclaim.
procedures at airports across Europe. An automated IT system for registering travellers from outside the EU, it’ll replace old-fashioned passport stamps with a comprehensive register of an individual’s name and travel document, as well as where they entered the EU. Combined with fingerprints and picture
“By relying on a powerful range of simulation tools, airport managers can easily plan the immigration systems of tomorrow – keeping passengers happy.”
Forcing them to redesign checkpoints and queuing spaces, any mistake could unleash chaos in an industry already battling with staff shortages. But by relying on a powerful range of simulation tools, airport managers can easily plan the immigration systems of tomorrow – keeping passengers happy and saving money.
Adopting EES
When it goes live next year, the EES will dramatically transform immigration
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records, the EES will keep “European citizens safer.” However, safety isn’t the only factor at play here, reminds Miguel Bono Tur, Senior Product Manager at Transoft Solutions. The goal of airports is (or it should be) satisfying passengers’ expectations. In general, a passenger’s minimum expectation is to be processed as fast as possible with little waiting time and enough space to feel comfortable. The challenges that airports face
when implementing new regulations is to keep passengers’ satisfaction high. The EES is going to increase the total time passengers will spend being processed and waiting. It will also add an additional stop to the passenger’s journey. This will increase the “burden” passengers perceive. The challenge for airports therefore is to keep that “burden” as low as possible while keeping costs low.
Careful planning is doubly important, says Felix Appler, given all the other stakeholders at play. As the simulation manager at Hamburg Airport explains, operators have to balance the needs and demands of border police and airlines, among others. “As an airport company,” he stresses, “you can’t just change the procedure, and then have everyone else adapt to it. You have to work with other departments to help implement it.” And as both Bono Tur and Appler emphasise, any mistake during the planning stage can quickly spiral. For passengers themselves, that’s easy enough to understand. If they’re
Future Airport /
www.futureairport.com
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