NEC and SITA Work to Bring Mobile Screening Tech to International Airports

NEC has shed more light on its new partnership with SITA. The two companies first joined forces back in July, when they announced that they would be working together to deliver a more streamlined (and contactless) passenger journey in the wake of COVID-19.

To do so, NEC will be blending its I:Delight identity management solution and top-rated NeoFace facial recognition algorithm with SITA’s Smart Path and Flex platforms. The result will be a comprehensive identity solution that can be leveraged in a number of different airport (and airport adjacent) applications across the entire passenger journey. For example, travelers will be able to use facial recognition to pass through security, or to approve purchases at airport restaurants and shops with the I:Delight platform.

The service will be delivered through a mobile app that can be downloaded with a basic smartphone. Users will be asked to take a selfie, and the app will link the image to that person’s travel documents to allow them to move through airport checkpoints. The app is entirely opt-in, so users can choose when (and with whom) they want to share their personal information.

The joint solution will also support airports and airlines that want to advance their own digital transformations. In that regard, companies can use SITA Flex to develop their own customer-facing applications with I:Delight interface and management capabilities, while customs agencies can use it to craft screening systems that are compliant with their country’s laws.

According to NEC, the two companies are already moving forward with joint projects in India and Thailand, and it is hoping to scale its services to reach the 460 international airports that run on SITA infrastructure. It also indicated that Star Alliance will be rolling out an I:Delight system in Europe that allows travelers to use reward points to make travel purchases.

Both SITA and NEC have argued that contactless technology will be vital to restore people’s trust in the travel industry. NEC has provided face and temperature screening tech for airports in Hawaii, while SITA recently delivered Smart Path to Capital International Airport in Beijing.

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September 28, 2020 – by Eric Weiss