The coronavirus pandemic has brought air travel to a grinding halt.
The number of Americans getting on airplanes has sunk to a level not seen in more than 60 years as people shelter in their homes to avoid catching or spreading the new coronavirus, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Travel will likely change forever once states and nations reopen fully. But as the efforts to resume travel expands, so too does the call for increased safety measures in an effort to keep re-infection rates under control. Airlines can refuse passengers boarding if they’re deemed to be too ill. So what will air travel look like post coronavirus?
Here are some of the biggest changes we’re beginning to see:
Blood Tests: Dubai-based airline Emirates has begun carrying out Covid-19 blood tests on passengers at the airport prior to flights. According to a statement released by the airline, the first rapid Covid-19 blood tests took place on Wednesday at Dubai International Airport, with passengers on a flight to Tunisia all reportedly tested before departure. The tests were conducted by the Dubai Health Authority and results were available within 10 minutes.
Temperature Checks: Some major airlines have been discussing the possibility of conducting passenger temperature checks prior to boarding flights, a strategy China has adopted for many public spaces. The CEO of Heathrow Airport in England recently discussed the use of infrared cameras at airports to screen out passengers who might be sick, however, the effectiveness of the cameras has been called into question.
More Space: Boarding gates could require 6 ft. distance between passengers at airports from the entry gate to boarding gates. This could mean more spacious waiting areas.
Boarding Changes: Airlines like Delta have been asking their passengers to board in a back-to-front system that it believes will help customers follow social distancing guidelines. By boarding from back to front, the airline said, there’s less chance passengers will have to pass each other as they find their seats. Passengers are also asked to stay seated in the waiting area until their row is announced.
Masks: Onboard, the new face of travel will be flight attendants with masks and gloves and possibly the passengers the same. American and Southwest airlines will allow flight attendants to wear face masks on flights to protect themselves against catching the COVID-19 coronavirus. Also, Frontier Airlines recently implemented a new program that requires passengers to accept a health acknowledgement prior to completing check-in via website or app.
Immunity Passport: One idea being floated, is a document would certify that the holder has been infected with coronavirus and has overcome it. The certificate, dubbed the ‘CoronaPass,’ will offer governments, healthcare organizations and corporations a way for people to demonstrate immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic based on the results of rapidly expanding antibody testing and could grant the passage of travel for some citizens.
Cleaner Planes: Some suggestions include that airlines need to disinfect their aircraft after every flight, not just once a day. Lavatories are also recommended to be cleaned once every 1 to 2 hours or after being used 5 to 10 times. Many airlines, such as Delta, have been using “fogging” cleaning method that that pushes out an EPA-registered disinfectant on all trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic inbound flights.
The National Science and Technology Development Agency, DEPA, Department of Disease Control, Immigration Bureau, Digital Government Development Agency (DGA), Thammasat University, and Thailand Tech Startup Association (TTSA) have developed “DDC-Care” application. The application is for the Department of Disease Control and Immigration Bureau to use as a tracking and risk-evaluating system for people who are prone to have COVID-19 according to the Communicable Disease Act. AD. 2015. The application will be used in immigration checkpoint at the airport and 50 land border checkpoints on 16 March.
“DDC-Care” application is a system that every visitor from risk countries has to download from QR code in front of the Immigration checkpoint. The collected information is to track and evaluate their health when they need to self-quarantine for 14 days. The Department of Diseases Control will use this information to evaluate their risk in order to advise and assist them in time. Moreover, the application can track visitors’ locations in order to effectively evaluate the risk area.
In all, the application has a security system for personal information thanks to the support of related organizations. There are many useful applications due to the development of technology. However, the Thai people’s support and cooperation are more important. We have to be aware and responsible for the society. We believe that we will get through this crisis soon.
Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 transmission globally, some countries are under lockdown and are coming up with several measures to pre-empt and prevent this issue.
In Thailand, according to the government’s policy, most organizations are trying to find prevention for the problem. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) is cooperating with the Office of The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Department of Diseases Control, Ministry of Public Health, Immigration Bureau and Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited or AOT. The MInistry has also worked with 5 Telecommunications companies, including CAT Telecom Co.Ltd., TOT Co.Ltd., Advance Wireless Network Co.Ltd., True Move H Universal Communication Co.Ltd., and DTAC Trinet Co.Ltd., and introduced an application to track visitors, both Thais and foreigners, who enter Thailand.
“Mr.Putthipong Punnakan, Minister of DES, reveals that at first, we were using the “AOT Airports” application of AOT to collect information and track visitors coming to Thailand, including Thai people who came back from risk countries in accordance with the Ministry of Public Health announcement. Visitors, including foreigners, who are customers of telecommunication companies can turn on data roaming and immediately download the application. For visitors who cannot turn on data, roaming can purchase sim card from telecommunication companies at temperature-checking point for 49 Baht (14 days). After that, visitors have to fill up their personal information in the application. Immigration Bureau will check the information before entering the country.”
All the information will be collected at the “Department of Diseases Control” in order to track and inform information about COVID-19 after the infected person is found. The Department of Disease Control will then alert NBTC and telecommunication companies in order to track the location of the infected person and people who travel with them in time.
“We ensure that the information will be deleted in 14 days. All visitors have to cooperate in order to be responsible for the society. We believe that this measure will ensure citizens and reduce their panic under the COVID-19 transmission situation.”
The cancellation of the quarantine center for disease control makes people who came back from risk countries to quarantine in their house or their hometown. Digital Economy Promotion Agency or DEPA and “Articulus”, Thai startup business, have developed “SydeKick for ThaiFight COVID” application to track and monitor people who quarantine at their hometown. People can download the application from QR code. Provincial public health staff will work with us to closely monitor them.
IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, says the complexity of restarting air transport demonstrates how much the industry could change as a result of COVID-19
Where does the COVID-19 pandemic rank in terms of industry crises?
This is completely different to any other crisis the industry has faced. The scale of the impact is at least an order of magnitude more severe than anything we have experienced before.
And the damage is operational as well as financial. This is not only about the enormous economic hit but also the potential far-reaching effects on business models and operational processes. We have never faced a challenge like it.
Have governments fully understood the extent of the impact on aviation? What more can they do?
IATA has been in direct contact with governments around the world asking for rescue packages for the industry. They have responded with an open, supportive attitude and many have announced significant measures, including the United States and governments in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
There are three elements to our lobbying. First, we are asking for a softening of regulations, such as a waiver on slot rules and the ability to offer vouchers alongside refunds for cancelled flights.
Second, we are asking for all possible cost reductions, such as flight charges, parking fees for aircraft, and taxes. Most governments have answered this call.
Third, we need financial support of any kind. This might be a direct capital injection or government-backed loans or loan guarantees; and tax relief.
All these elements are aimed at getting cash on the balance sheet. The cash burn rate is unbearable. Airlines will get through more $60 billion in the second quarter alone.
If we can’t get enough cash flowing, then the entire industry faces bankruptcy.
How will the industry change following the crisis?
Certainly, some airlines will go bankrupt. That is inevitable. And for others to survive, consolidation will most likely happen around the larger carriers.
But how the industry will look will be largely dictated by how and when we restart the industry. And that is the major challenge facing us.
At the technical level, though it is a massive and complex project, we know what to do. We have the expertise and we can work through it.
But how to restart the market—stimulate demand, deal with new regulations, and evolving customer requirements—is far more difficult because we are dealing with unknowns.
Will health screening for COVID-19 need to be done at the departure or arrival airport or both, for instance? And will it be a simple temperature test or something more involved like a throat swab or blood test for immunity? Then we have to think about the equipment we may need to hand out to passengers, including masks, gloves or hand sanitizer. And if we need to maintain social distancing during travel, what will that mean for aircraft seating and for airport processes, such as the security checkpoint and boarding? Finally, there is the cleaning of aircraft. If that needs to be more extensive then turnaround times could be longer and schedules would need to change.
Individually, any of these factors would have a significant impact on previous operational practices. Taken together, we could be talking about a very different industry. We would not be restarting the same industry that was locked down.
Will governments or airlines take responsibility for these measures?
I think that will depend on the measure. Clearly, if we are talking about testing for COVID-19 at every airport, it will need to be done by governments. It involves specialists and specialist equipment and airlines can’t be expected to organize that.
Cleaning aircraft, on the other hand, is an area that airlines understand and can control.
But if we need to de-densify the aircraft—for example by leaving the middle seat open in a row of three seats—that would be an immensely difficult business challenge that would need to be discussed. It would mean entirely new business models. Short-haul flights and low-cost carriers depend on volume. Short haul generally needs about an 80% load factor to break even. If that is literally impossible to achieve then the consequences are enormous.
Of course, one way out is for any measure to be temporary. Some or all these factors may not be permanent. It could be that within a year or two, we will get back to “normal.” But we can’t assume that. We will need some clarity on the duration of measures to make the right decisions.
How can airlines build in greater resilience to survive future challenges?
There are several points. Most obviously, we need to be much stronger in terms of cash reserves. Even when the industry was profitable, we kept emphasizing the overall structural weakness. Some airlines and some regions made up for shortfalls elsewhere. There needs to be a greater focus on being financially strong.
But aside from that, there are many areas to consider going forward. Airlines might decide to have reserves of equipment that limit the spread of a virus so that it can be rolled out at the first sign of a problem. We may need to update crew training to include more emphasis on areas such as hygiene. And we will learn lessons from all the other factors that may be involved in the restart of the industry.
What is IATA doing to help airlines through these exceptional times?
We are doing everything we can. As mentioned, we are lobbying governments worldwide to ensure airlines have enough cash to survive. That is the primary concern.
But we are also managing the BSP as carefully as possible to protect everybody who uses it. That is a complex, day-to-day challenge. We have postponed IATA membership fees that were due in the second quarter and also deferred a number of other costs where possible.
We are practicing what we preach and trying to ensure airlines have access to as much cash as possible right now.
What do you think will be the most crucial IATA initiatives to help airlines through the recovery phase?
IATA’s key initiatives will show their worth in the recovery phase. Whether it is New Distribution Capability (NDC) or New Experience Travel Technologies (NEXTT), these initiatives have always had the customer and cost efficiency at their core. These drivers will be more important than ever.
But we have to get to the recovery phase first. Right now, lobbying governments to keep airline cash flowing and working out how to restart the industry is the most important work we are doing.
How important is it to keep the entire industry structure healthy, including ANSPs and airports?
We are advocating for the entire aviation value chain because that chain gets its strength from airlines. We have pointed out that 25 million jobs dependent on aviation are at risk, for example. And we acknowledge the help being given by air navigation service providers and airports.
We have to take the broader view because only together can we provide the connectivity that will help the global economy regain its strength. And only by working together can we overcome the challenges in restarting the industry.
Has the crisis raised air cargo’s importance in terms of airline revenue and its role in the global economy?
Air cargo flights are almost the only flights right now. The sector is doing a very important job. It is crucial not only to the airlines but also to keeping the global economy ticking over and to delivering vital equipment and medicines in the fight against COVID-19.
Governments do understand that and in general have been very helpful in facilitating air cargo flights. They have reduced costs, worked on cargo crew regulations, and ensured the relevant flight permissions.
There is still some work to do but governments have been responsive. And it is another area where IATA has played a vital role. For example, we issued guidance on using passenger aircraft for all-cargo flights in just a few days.
Do you think environmental pressure will increase once flying resumes given many stories about lower pollution during the many national lockdowns?
There have been lots of stories and plenty of statements from various parties about the CO2 reduction.
Even though airlines are under enormous financial pressure, we won’t give up on our environmental commitments. We will continue to reduce CO2, continue to reduce noise, and continue to invest in new, environmentally friendly technologies and sustainable aviation fuels. There will be no change in our targets.
What is your message to the industry and the millions of workers who depend on it for their livelihood?
Stay strong, have hope, and continue to work hard. Aviation is the business of freedom. We have a job to do to restart this industry in the safest and most efficient way possible so that together we can connect the world again.
Amorph Systems and Vantiq are collaborating with each other and an unknown number of development and hardware partners on integrated systems for continuous, real-time biometric and thermal monitoring for airports.
An application developed by Amorph Systems uses thermal cameras, lidar-based crowd density measurements and flight information to identify potential problem areas and guide redirected passenger flows and other operational controls. When a fever is detected, an integrated security camera uses computer vision technology to correlate with the system to take a snapshot to identify the individual, and point-to-point tracking is carried out with facial recognition.
The partners the companies are working with include Hikvision and T-Systems.
“Airports are under incredible pressure right now, as they address exceptional operational issues caused by COVID-19,” says Dr. Frank Frauenhoffer, managing director of Amorph Systems, in a press release. “Our new application will be highly valuable not only to manage the current situation, but to prepare for future waves of COVID-19 or other potential virus outbreaks of other viruses. In order to keep passengers safe, airports need to apply new real-time health measures.”
Frauenhoffer says the system is scalable, and that by leveraging Vantiq’s low-code platform, Amorph Systems was able to stand up a fully integrated solution at Helsinki Airport and others in only a few weeks. The AMORPH.aero system is used by dozens of airports globally.
“We believe these systems will be critical to opening up retail stores, office buildings, airports, stadiums, factories, and health care facilities around the world,” Vantiq CEO Marty Sprinzen states, according to Vision-Spectra.
Like the rest of the European airport industry, Frankfurt Airport has been hit by the COVID-19 crisis and the resulting travel and aviation restrictions imposed country-by-country worldwide. This has significantly impacted Fraport’s Frankfurt Airport global hub – affecting all business areas from flight operations to ground handling, retail and cargo (especially belly cargo on passenger flights).
“In February 2020, the COVID-19 crisis hit our important China/Asian market first – causing our traffic that month to fall by 4.4% year-on-year to 4.4 million passengers,” says Robert Payne, Fraport international spokesman.
Since then, the crisis has spread around the globe. This is underscored by the dramatic fall in weekly traffic figures at Frankfurt from about 331,000 passengers from March 16-22, shrinking further to about 119,000 passengers from March 23 to 29, and dropping to only about 66,000 passengers from March 30 to April 5. “This represents a decrease of about 95% compared to the same calendar week of the previous year. After the repatriation flights for stranded German tourists finish in the next few days, Frankfurt Airport’s passenger traffic will be negligible,” Payne explains.
Grounded aircraft parked on the Northwest Runway, which is now temporarily closed during the COVID-19 crisis. Source: Fraport AG
Ensuring FRA’s role as “system critical” infrastructure
Health and safety is, of course, always the industry’s first priority. From the very beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic, Fraport has been in very close contact with the relevant health authorities (at municipal, state and federal levels), implementing all of the required measures immediately and decisively.
“On the commercial side, Fraport also responded quickly to lower variable costs as fast as possible,” says Payne. “Already in February 2020, Fraport launched major cost-reductions for all of its corporate administrative and operational areas at Frankfurt Airport. New staff hires are only possible in exceptional and justified cases. All staff have been offered voluntary unpaid vacation or temporary reduced working hours – where compatible with operations. On 21 March, over 18,000 Fraport staff across operational and administrative departments were put on official short-time work.”
These measures are designed to cut costs and adjust staff deployment to falling demand – and to protect jobs. Furthermore, Fraport’s executive board and senior management are contributing to a special COVID-19 fund to help staff needing urgent financial help. Fraport also recently announced that dividends will not be paid out to shareholders for the 2019 fiscal year.
Frankfurt Airport’s Terminal 2 closed on 7 April 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Source: Fraport AG
“In tandem to the slowdown in traffic, we have incrementally closed passenger and airfield infrastructure for aircraft and passenger infrastructure,” Payne adds.
For example, two of FRA’s four runways have been temporarily taken out of operation. The Northwest landing runway is now inactive and is being used as a parking lot for grounded jets. Meanwhile, Terminal 2 has closed with all passenger services bundled into Terminal 1.
“Nevertheless, FRA is still operationally open to air traffic to ensure the airport’s role as ‘system critical’ infrastructure,” Payne explains. “As Europe’s busiest air cargo hub, Frankfurt Airport and its cargo community partners are working to ensure cargo handling and traffic operations for the vital shipments of medical, pharma and other supplies, as well as for keeping global supply chains for industry in motion.”
The first important step: be prepared before the crisis develops
Robert Payne, Fraport international spokesman: “As Europe’s busiest air cargo hub, Frankfurt Airport and its cargo community partners are working to ensure cargo handling and traffic operations for the vital shipments of medical, pharma and other supplies, as well as for keeping global supply chains for industry in motion.” Source: Fraport AG
In terms of knowledge-sharing and effectively responding to COVID-19, Payne comments that the first important step is to be prepared before the crisis develops. “In Frankfurt, we could build on our experience with former epidemics such as SARS, Ebola, the swine flu – as well as other crisis situations. We have continuously improved and trained our defined procedures over the years. And we have a very engaged and experienced medical team of doctors and staff onsite, who provide advice to our management team in such a crisis.”
On the financial side, it is extremely important to reduce variable costs as quickly as possible, when the traffic collapses almost completely. “For a stock-listed airport company like Fraport AG, it is obviously important to maintain liquidity and financial flexibility,” says Payne. “One advantage of such a slowdown is that airports can carry out renovation projects more easily and economically when traffic is limited – which is what we are doing at Frankfurt.”
While it is difficult to reliably forecast the extent and duration of the COVID-19 crisis, it must be assumed that the huge decline in air traffic volumes will continue during the weeks and months ahead. Airports and other partners will need to cooperate closely in reviving aviation in a coordinated manner with the support and understanding of policymakers and other stakeholders.
“Airports provide direct employment for millions of people worldwide,” says Payne. “In addition, airports serve as economic engines for the giant travel and tourism industry – as well as our cities, regions and nations. The coronavirus crisis has demonstrated that aviation is system-critical for our economies, societies and civilisation – both in normal times and in times of crisis.”
After several years of strong growth, the aviation industry is now facing a very serious crisis – far exceeding all previous events including 9/11, SARS, the global financial meltdown, and Europe’s volcanic ash-cloud crisis. “We can expect the aviation sector to look substantially different in the post-COVID-19 world. But aviation has survived these major crisis situations in the past and re-emerged stronger each time.”
One advantage of such a slowdown is that airports can carry out renovation projects more easily and economically when traffic is limited. Renovation is in progress on Frankfurt Airport’s South Runway. Source: Fraport AG
Emirates, in coordination with Dubai Health Authority (DHA), has become the first airline to conduct on-site rapid COVID-19 tests for passengers. Passengers on a flight to Tunisia on 15 April were all tested for COVID-19 before departing from Dubai.
The quick blood test was conducted by the DHA and results were available within 10 minutes. This test was conveniently done at the Group Check-in area of Dubai International Airport Terminal 3.
Adel Al Redha, Emirates Chief Operating Officer, said: “The testing process has gone smoothly and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dubai Health Authority for their initiatives and innovative solutions. This would have not been possible without the support of Dubai Airport and other government authorities. We are working on plans to scale up testing capabilities in the future and extend it to other flights, this will enable us to conduct on-site tests and provide immediate confirmation for Emirates passengers travelling to countries that require COVID-19 test certificates. The health and safety of staff and passengers at the airport remain of paramount importance.”
HE Humaid Al Qutami, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said: “We are glad to work with Emirates on the successful implementation of rapid COVID-19 testing at the airport for departing travellers. To tackle COVID-19, we have been proactively working with various governmental organisations and the private health sector and we have implemented all necessary measures from public health protection to provision of high-quality health services in line with the latest international guidelines. We believe strongly that the most effective solutions require close partnerships with other public and private sector organisations.”
Emirates adapts in response to COVID-19
The airline’s check-in and boarding formalities have also been adapted with social distancing in mind. Protective barriers have been installed at each check-in desk to provide additional safety measures for passengers and employees during any interaction. Gloves, masks and hand sanitisers have been made mandatory for all employees at the airport.
Passengers are also required to wear their own masks when at the airport and on board the aircraft, and follow social distancing guidelines.Emirates has modified its inflight services for health and safety reasons.
Magazines and other print reading material will not be available, and while food and beverages will continue to be offered on board, packaging and presentation will be modified to reduce contact during meal service and minimise risk of interaction. Cabin baggage is currently not accepted on flights. Carry-on items allowed in the cabin are limited to laptop, handbag, briefcase or baby items. All other items have to be checked in, and Emirates will add the cabin baggage allowance to customers’ check-in baggage allowance. All Emirates aircraft will go through enhanced cleaning and disinfection processes in Dubai, after each journey.
okyo Olympics 2020: With the presence of robots world travellers will see that Haneda Airport is transferred into an airport of the future.
travel
Updated: Mar 07, 2020 15:23 IST
Asian News International Tokyo, [Japan]
Tokyo 2020: Robots to greet, guide visitors at Olympics.(Unsplash)
Haneda Airport is the main gateway of Japan, connecting Tokyo with many cities around the world.
It is the closest airport to the capital; many local and foreign travellers choose this convenient airport.
The number of visitors to Japan is increasing year by year and it is expected to hit record levels when Tokyo hosts the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games.
Airport operators are making efforts to handle the situation with the help of unexpected workers!
They are the robots that will be greeting, guiding and helping travellers.
“We are using a total of four robots in Haneda Airport and the main concept is security but we can divide the four robots into two groups, the first group is digital signage guiding robots and the second group is autonomous security robots that can operate and move by themselves,” said Kazunori Maebashi of Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Autonomous security and guide robot can be seen in the Airport lobby, this robot is able to stop automatically, to prevent collision and accident when it encounters people or object.
During the day, it guides visitors through the airport using a touch panel located at the front. In the evening, it takes on the duties of a security guard.
It has also observation skills and intruder-detection technology.
When it detects suspicious objects or left behind bags even under seats it automatically notifies guards.
“These robots are also crucial tools in solving the labour shortage due to population decline. It is hoped that using robots would reduce the burden of airport employees and create a better working environment,” said Maebashi.
The final goal is to improve the overall quality of service by finding a task that robots can do to make humans more efficient and customers more satisfied.
And with the presence of robots world travellers will see that Haneda Airport is transferred into an airport of the future.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
The spread of biometrics systems in Africa in the public and private sector, in particular in Nigeria, topped the stories read by the most Biometric Update visitors for this week. Initiatives for national ID systems, detecting payroll fraud, ensuring student election integrity and secure retail payments in the country were matched by initiatives for mobile services, elections, and mobile banking in other countries on the continent. Airport identity systems were also prominent in industry news, and our series of feature articles providing a deep-dive into pressing issues for the biometrics ecosystem continues with a look at facial recognition policy, with a focus on possible U.S. regulations.
Nigerians have exorcised more than 17,000 ghost workers from the payroll of a single state with biometric registration and used similar technology for a student election, and can provide biometrics-backed NINs to its entire population given at most five years and another $2 billion. The troubles of Tanzania’s SIM registration and resistance to Ghana’s new electoral registration exemplify ongoing delays in implementation of digital ID projects in Africa, however. A separate story on two banks in Nigeria and South Africa launching facial recognition-based services, the former for card-less retail payments and the latter for mobile app authentication, also cracked the top ten Biometric Update articles of the week.
Remark Holdings has integrated contactless fever detection with its facial recognition product and Telpo has integrated its fever detection and face biometrics terminals with payment technologies for public transportation deployments as the coronavirus outbreak draws the world’s attention.
The national digital ID system of Singapore is adding facial recognition authentication service to kiosks at banks and government agency offices to do away with passwords for services. The government is also working on opening up its SingPass Mobile app, adding facial recognition for elderly and overseas Singaporeans who may need the service but not be able to get to the kiosks.
Lenovo Global Communications Manager Andy Barron tells part of the story of the creation of the FIDO Alliance and the specifications it creates in a blog post on the expected growth of passwordless authentication spurred by Microsoft’s adoption of them for Windows 10 last year.
In a busy week for travel biometrics, the ICAO published a Master List of digital certificates to help border authorities authenticate biometric passports, as well as to begin the process of extending the documents to “non-state non-commercial” applications, which might be part of seamless travel systems. The TSA, meanwhile, is rolling out a new portable document checker to airports across the country which verify the validity of photo credentials and provide flight information. The agency also announced that PreCheck has passed the 10 million-member milestone.
AirAsia is using biometrics and big data to transform its brand by offering customers new experiences, but as Ozy reports, its digital transformation efforts led by new CEO Aireen Omar are also drawing scrutiny. The company is running separate pilots of iris biometrics and the Fast Airport Clearance Experience System (FACES), developed by a partner, to clear travelers.
Two sets of guidelines for using biometrics and other AI systems were released this week by influential groups. The Pentagon’s five principles and the Rome Call for AI Ethics, from a Vatican-hosted group that also includes Microsoft, IBM and others, have a lot in common, starting with requirements for systems to be responsible and reliable.
One use of AI introduced by startup DoNotPay is automated data deletion demands, Fortune reports. The company’s Digital Health “robot lawyer” contacts more than 100 data brokers and informs them that an individual protected by CCPA is formally requesting their facial recognition, location, account or other data be expunged.
Contactless biometrics from Idemia have been successfully trialed at Japan’s Level5 stadium for a soccer league final. The company hopes to roll out its MorphoWave Compact scanners across the facility in collaboration with its partner Japan Aerospace Corporation.
Efforts by biometric technology providers and other stakeholders to steer policy-makers towards effective rules for facial recognition are examined in an in-depth feature article, through conversations with NEC, FaceFirst, IBIA, Identity Strategy Partners, and DHS representatives. As the issue bubbles to the surface, providing the information necessary to support legislation that allows government agencies and businesses to use facial recognition without degrading privacy and civil rights is becoming a priority for all involved. Thanks to those who shared their insights.
The implications of GDPR for facial recognition are examined by REaD Group Data Quality and Governance Manager Andy Bridges in a piece for Digital Marketing Magazine. Bridges argues the central issue is consent, and noting that the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office is planning to introduce new regulation within the next year, he urges businesses to perform Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) and determine the lawful basis for biometrics use proactively. Yoti CEO and Co-founder Robin Tombs tells CalvinAyre.com how face biometrics-backed digital identity technology can make it easier to have transparency, privacy, and compliance in online transactions in an interview from ICE London.
Our interview with Idex CTO Anthony Eaton on the impact the company’s new biometric-system-on-chip is expected to have on the fingerprint smart card market held on to its spot among the most-read news of the week.
Idex SVP David Orme describes the automatic personalization potential of smart cities, and the foundational role biometrics can play in the chain of trust that they will require, in an editorial for TechNative.
Please let us know of any articles, blogs, videos or editorials you would like to share with the broader digital ID and biometrics communities in the comments below, or the channel of your choice.
Customer experience is paramount in an industry as competitive and prone to issues as air travel. To deliver a great experience, airports are innovating, from mobile apps to mood lighting and entertainment systems. An area that’s less visible to passengers is the activity monitoring and data collection airports conduct across a wide range of applications. This information is used to improve operations that impact every stage of the traveller experience. Even before passengers arrive at the airport, there are many ways applications are helping to make the experience more efficient, and as a result, more data than ever is being used to protect passenger privacy and keep departures on time. But, as well as the opportunities this creates, it’s also important to be aware of the cybersecurity risks.
Ticketing, frequent flyer miles, and personal data: access points for identity theft and fraud
Looking at the recent experiences of some of the best-known airlines offers some valuable lessons. In 2018, British Airways announced that its systems had been hacked and the credit card information of roughly 380,000 passengers had been stolen. According to GDPR guidelines, the maximum penalty for a company hit with a data breach is a fine of either £17 million or four per cent of global turnover, whichever is greater. In this case, authorities intend to order British Airways to pay a fine of nearly $230 million for the breach.
Two months later, Cathay Pacific reported that the personal information of some 9.4 million passengers had been compromised — a collection of sensitive data that included passport and other identification numbers.
Attacks like these have ripple effects beyond fines and public scrutiny: they impact customer confidence and brand reputation. That’s why data encryption and tokenisation technologies to protect critical customer information —such as credits cards, identification numbers and bank accounts — are now so important to keeping every aspect of the travel process more secure.
Beyond credit card data, a growing black market for frequent flyer data is flourishing. Visitors to the ‘dark web’ can find hundreds of thousands of airline miles available at a fraction of the cost they would pay to airlines or credit card companies. Those ill-gotten miles can then be used to redeem gift cards or other points-based rewards – a simple form of illicit arbitrage. These miles can also be resold and put toward first-class upgrades and other bonus offers, according to Comparitech’s study into the black market for frequent flyer miles conducted last year.
That resale market has created a demand for bad actors to crack frequent flyer accounts. It’s also created a need for analytics to eliminate an unrelenting risk. For any application of this nature, software can be implemented that can spot behaviour-based anomalies — such as repeated password reset requests on the same account or login attempts from an odd location — to identify possibly illicit account access. Customers can then be alerted before the problem develops further.
That process starts with collecting data and tracking every incident, whether benign or threatening, and defining what constitutes normal account use. By leveraging machine learning and analytics, it’s possible to create a baseline of standard behaviour for the individual. This makes it easier to spot behaviours that fall outside that norm. Appropriate action can then be taken to stop the activity and build processes to address them.
Several airlines have discovered baggage handlers that have checked an extra bag filled with rare and high-tariff goods into the system for an accomplice to collect at the destination. In such cases, neither the passenger, airport nor the airline are aware of the illegal use of identity and systems.
Now that all appears to be on the brink of change: as of June 2018, the International Air Transport Association issued Resolution 753 requires that airlines track baggage at four key points: passenger handover to airline, loading to the aircraft, delivery to the transfer area and return to passenger.
Airports and airlines are turning to data collection and analytics to solve this problem. Beyond tracking the location of a piece of luggage at a given time, analytics can spot unusual patterns, such as bags unexpectedly entering the system on loading or baggage handlers that stand out for baggage that is persistently misrouted — a sign that they may be using passenger bags to route illicit goods to an accomplice.
In the end, that means nothing gets on the plane that shouldn’t, which plays a significant role in keeping planes and passengers secure.
Runways and perimeter breaches: Securing access to the plane
Between 2004 and 2015, there were 268 perimeter breaches at airports that handle three-quarters of U.S. commercial passenger traffic.
For example, there was the mentally ill man in L.A. who hopped the fence eight times in less than a year and twice reached stairs that led to jets. There was the man who threw his bike over a fence in Chicago, riding the bike across a runway and knocking on a terminal door. Then there was the man who drove an SUV through a security gate in Philadelphia and played chicken with a plane trying to land. In the UK, consumer drones entering the airspace of London Heathrow forced the entire airport to shut down.
Much of the protection required to prevent those breaches is physical, with additional barricades and security personnel on the ground. But there’s also the need to protect what’s on board because, in the modern airline industry, threats don’t always take a physical form.
Every month, there are 1,000 cyberattacks across the air transport industry. At the same time, just 35 per cent of airlines and 30 per cent of airports believe they are prepared to deal with cyber-threats today.
But, the same technology that is creating these new vulnerabilities is also being used to stay ahead of them. Machine learning, big data and analytics are all being used to gather data and set a baseline of normal behaviour, which makes threats and anomalous behaviour easier and faster to identify. Systems that can detect and escalate unusual patterns and help pinpoint event timelines provide deep insight on security events that may be the source of the anomalies. Gaining access to that insight before something happens is critical because it allows officials to stop problems before they start.
If something does come to pass, advanced tracking and analysis also facilitates a faster investigation — and ultimately find a faster way to resolution. The right tools can transform a process that typically takes weeks of searching through multiple months-worth of raw incident logs into one that takes only seconds — and presents a timeline for each security incident. And the faster you can find your way to the root cause of a problem, the quicker you can implement policies and procedures to prevent the same thing from happening again.
Planes, ageing fleets and controls: Securing the plane
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Analytical insights are used every day to secure the plane from emerging and potential threats. In the past several years, a few examples of cybersecurity attacks on planes have surfaced.
In 2015, a cybersecurity consultant told the FBI he was able to successfully hack into an airplane’s computer system and force it to climb. Then, a year later, a Department of Homeland Security official remotely hacked the systems of an airplane parked at an airport in Atlantic City, N.J.
With a significant portion of every airline’s fleet made up of older airplanes, how do aircraft mechanics and maintenance teams track when those older systems are about to break or need to be tuned? At the same time, airplanes are coming onto the market with new bells and whistles, greater energy efficiency and their own unique vulnerabilities.
So how do we ensure both old and new airplanes are safe and secure? And how do we prevent cybersecurity attacks?
The answer, once again, lies in software.
Newer planes can harness the power of data to spot red flags and identify possible security breaches as they’re happening. As standard procedure for newer planes, all flight data from a single flight is automatically downloaded when the aircraft is parked. This data will be used to gauge what’s happening in flight and pinpoint any anomalies in the plane’s functions. Airlines then run applications that log the files and use machine learning to analyse them for irregularities onboard and during the flight. Data collection and analysis ensure that problems don’t repeat themselves over time.
Flying remains one of the most convenient and safest ways to travel. As the travel industry continues to provide better and more personalised experiences, analytics software will continue to drive innovation through the entire journey for passengers.
From component tracking systems to building information modelling, airports are increasingly turning to new technologies to facilitate the construction of major projects. Here is a look at five case studies.
New global airport construction projects are springing up like never before. According to a recent report from Business Wire, the value of projects at the execution stage totals $377.6bn, while those in the planning stages account for $215.8bn.
The aviation industry should be applauded for its forethought. With global passenger numbers expected to hit 8.2 billion per year by 2037, airports cannot afford to let themselves buckle under the strain of such an inordinate swell in custom.
Constructing an airport – like any architectural undertaking – is a complex business, involving a whole host of stakeholders, from designers and contractors to construction managers and executives.
Increasingly, airport operators are turning to large-scale technology to make sure projects run as efficiently as possible and – most important of all – are completed on time. Below are some hubs that are looking to harness state-of-the-art tech to their advantage.
Heathrow Airport: innovative component tracking
According to its latest masterplan, Heathrow – Europe’s busiest airport – aims to have a third runway up and running by 2026. The airport operator is hoping the introduction of a new pilot component tracking system will help it attain this goal on schedule.
Using technology developed by Siemens Digital Logistics, the system will track millions of vital construction components destined for the site of the new runway in real-time
Heathrow is currently in the process of weighing up four logistic hubs, which will be connected by the centralised system. Acting as a kind of ‘nerve centre’, the system will link up off-site construction centres, allowing for the seamless delivery of parts to the hub outside West London. It will also serve to provide regular updates to the construction sites.
Glasgow Airport: betting on a digital toolset
Glasgow Airport might be a fraction of the size of Heathrow but remains an important cog in the Scottish economy. Welcoming 9.7 million passengers last year, it generated in excess of £1.44bn, while supporting more than 30,000 jobs north of the border.
As part of its 2040 masterplan, which is aiming to increase its passenger share to 17 million within the next two decades, Glasgow – which recently introduced its first A380 service to and from Dubai – is betting on digital technology as part of its future expansion efforts.
According to Glasgow head of capital Gordon Bain, digitisation, including the likes of automated communication and real-time data on project performance, will provide clearer, more up-to-date information for engineers on-site.
“We are in the process of developing a digital portfolio and programme management toolset that will enable us to track project performance and KPIs in real-time and improve interfaces with the business,” said Bain, writing in an op-ed in BIM+, a Chartered Institute of Building publication.
“This will allow us to reduce feedback loop delays between what is happening on-site and the key decisions that need to be made by the business to ensure the smooth delivery of projects.”
Los Angeles International Airport: going big for GIS
As the second-largest airport in the US behind Atlanta, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) saw an astounding 87.5 million passengers squeeze through its doors in 2019. Little wonder then that it is in the process of expanding, with two new terminals and several gates expected to be ready in time for when the West Coast city hosts the Olympic Games in 2028. The facelift has been costed at around $14bn.
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the airport’s governing body, has deployed a geographic information system (GIS) in order to better streamline the workflow of multiple on-site projects while minimising disruption to day-to-day operations.
The GIS platform also includes 3D modelling capabilities, geared towards aiding engineers in the optimisation of space and surfaces. LAWA is reported to have used 3D simulations in the design of everything from passageways to baggage claim areas and ticketing counters.
Copenhagen Airport: virtual reality meets BIM
Serving as the busiest hub across the Nordic countries, Copenhagen Airport is planning to be able to handle up to 40 million passengers a year in the near future. This has necessitated the construction of a new pier – Pier E – which covers 36,000m2, marking one of the biggest building projects at the airport for a number of years.
Partially opened in June, Copenhagen has gone about construction using building information modelling (BIM) which it believes will benefit workflows during the duration of the project. This includes the creation of BIM process standards, which comprises a specification of a level of detail required for new construction projects.
As part of the design phase, the airport has also made use of virtual reality and 3D modelling based upon drawings, surveys and field inspections.
Hong Kong International Airport: digital modelling at the forefront
In January, TDS, a UK-based structural steel and architectural metalwork design office and consultancy, was awarded a $5m contract to help in the construction of a new 9,000-tonne roof structure at Hong Kong’s Terminal 2.
Working directly with the Hong Kong International Aviation Association – which falls under the management of Airport Authority Hong Kong – TDS is set to provide digital modelling of the roof.
Speaking at the time, TDS CEO Daniel Leech explained: “The most exciting and radical element of the story is that this digital modelling is taking place right at the beginning of the design process, providing an open and collaborative digital workflow for all those involved at each stage thereafter.”
