Miami International Airport (MIA) has contracted for an additional 44 self-service automated passport control (APC) kiosks from SITA, a global provider of air transport communications and IT. This brings the total number of APC kiosks in use at the airport to 80.
MIA is a major hub for international traffic – around 50% of its passengers are traveling internationally – and it was one of the first to work with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to automate the arrival process. SITA provided the first APC kiosks to the airport back in 2013; the kiosks use sophisticated biometric technology to quickly match passengers’ passports with face and fingerprint data, helping to reduce wait times by as much as 40 percent for US citizens.
Emilio T. González, director, Miami International Airport, said, “This investment in more than 40 additional kiosks for MIA demonstrates our commitment to providing the best possible arrival for our international travelers. It is one of several investments we are making to improve the overall passenger experience.
“The APC kiosks are a great example of how our work with SITA has allowed us to investigate innovative and smart technology and roll it out quickly when we see the benefits. We determined that SITA’s solution out-paced the competition with its design, functionality, ease of maintenance, durability and commitment to security by using the industry’s most advanced biometric technology.”
The new kiosks have been approved by CBP for accurate data collection and verification of passenger facial and fingerprint biometrics against passengers’ passports. They can be used to process any passenger from the USA, Canada or any of the 38 visa waiver countries, including US lawful permanent residents or green card holders.
Paul Houghton, SITA president, Americas, said, “The use of SITA’s APC kiosks at MIA has been a huge success, and the reduction in wait times has been significant. Our kiosks process passengers in less than two minutes, compared to longer waits for a CBP agent during peak travel periods. As the global leader in integrated border solutions, SITA provides technology that benefits everyone. Passengers move quickly through the airport, airlines can de-plane passengers quickly for on-time turnarounds, while CBP agents maintain high security levels.”
SITA’s APC kiosks are already in use in MIA’s North and South Terminals, and the additional units will be installed in the North, South and Central Terminals.