Australian Extension of SmartGate Self Check-in Trial to Singaporean Travellers

It has been announced that the Australian Immigration Authority will trial the use of the SmartGate passenger self check-in facility for Singaporean travellers this year, allowing them to join US and Swiss electronic passport holders in the trial. The successful SmartGate system is already in use permanently for Australian, New Zealanders and UK citizens, processing over four million passengers during 2012 and 2013.

The SmartGate system is an electronic, self check-in programme that speeds up passenger processing in eight airports across Australia and allows passengers to be expedited through passport control. The benefits have been felt particularly during peak times and busy periods.

The trial will eventually extend to further countries during 2014, with a view to rolling out the system in full force by 2018, when Australian immigration expect more than 80% of travellers to be in possession of the ePassport. The focus can then shift to monitoring for ‘high-risk’ passengers that may pose a threat to the borders.

eBorders technology is designed to bring flexibility to airport operations in order to manage secure integration with border security and government mandates, managing not only the check-in process, but careful screening and delivery of API.