Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, is set to become the first airport in Latin America to offer travelers a single token curb-to-gate boarding experience by deploying new biometric e-gates for each passenger checkpoint.
Once complete, travelers flying with LATAM Airlines will be able to board the aircraft without ever having to show a passport or boarding pass.
Dubbed the Easy Airport program, plans include the deployment of 16 biometric self-boarding gates from technology developer Vision-Box. The gates check the identity of the passenger against their digital travel documents using just a biometric facial scan.
Diego Arrosa, CEO of Puerta del Sur – the operator of Carrasco International Airport and a division of Corporación America – said, “We seek to transform Carrasco Airport into a beacon of innovation in Latin America. When all the phases of the Easy Airport program are completed, the positioning of the Carrasco Airport will be one of the most advanced in the region for the use of self-service technologies and biometrics.”
The agreement with Vision-Box marks the onset of a strategic modernization plan that will span more than 50 airports operated by Corporación America, bringing seamless travel technologies to other commercial airports in the network.
Miguel Leitmann, CEO of Vision-Box, said, “About two years ago, Vision-Box and Corporación America envisioned Carrasco Airport as the blueprint for a fully connected 4.0 digital airport, with passengers journeying seamlessly without obstacles. Our joint vision will now materialize through the implementation of our common-use orchestration platform which fuels the biometric passenger touchpoints at multiple steps of the traveler’s journey.
“This is the role model soon to follow at other Corporación America airports. The alliance we celebrate today marks the beginning of a transformational wave that will extend seamless travel technologies to more airports, more stakeholders and more people around the world. It’ll have a memorable impact on travel and build the foundations to transform the passenger lifestyle.”