The Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, the second largest airport in France, inaugurated the first PARAFE gates – Automated Fast Track Crossing at External Borders – featuring facial recognition technology on Friday, July 6th. This new technology is the result of a combined effort between IN Groupe – a global leader in sovereign biometric identity – and Gunnebo, a world leader in security solutions and services.
Four gates have been installed, and twelve more will be added in the coming months, at both arrivals and departures. “A considerable time saver, a reliable security tool, and assurance of better staff distribution,” stated Jean-Philippe Nahon, Departmental Director of the PAF – French Border Police – to the press this Monday.
The tests will last for one month, from July 6 to August 6, after which they will be distributed across the two terminals. “Their installation only took five months,” remarked Didier Truh – Chief Executive Officer of IN Group – the same company that manufactures and produces passports in France.
The airports in Lyon and Marseille already have PARAFE gates, but these are configured to recognize passengers’ fingerprints. “The advantage of the PARAFE gates, which we are developing in partnership with Gunnebo, is that they can be configured for biometric recognition either by fingerprint or facial recognition, depending on the airports’ requests,” explained Didier Trutt.
What about the protection of personal data and the storage of information? The PAF responds “confidential.” Following Nice’s lead, the airports in Lyon and Marseille are considering updating their systems to include facial recognition.
