Moscow airports have begun checking the automated passport control system (APCS) at the border. Russians will be allowed through by checking their photos and fingerprints against the data in their biometric passports. The FSB announced this, noting that the new system Russian citizens will be the first to benefit.
Self-service security test booths have been installed in Terminals E and D at Sheremetyevo Airport and are already operational. At Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports, however, they are still being prepared for installation, but the new service will soon begin testing at these airports as well.
As FSB and airport representatives told Izvestia, the automated passport control system could speed up border crossings and help reduce the workload of border service personnel. There's no word yet on when the system will be fully implemented at airports.
The security checkpoints at Sheremetyevo Airport were installed by the Moscow-based companies Gazintech and Fintech. Incidentally, the new system will also automatically decide whether to allow a citizen through the border or deny them entry.
Fintech explained that the cabin is a two-door turnstile system, with passengers following on-screen instructions and using touchscreens. Sheremetyevo Airport also noted that while the new system is in test mode, passengers will be required to present their documents.
It's worth noting that automated passport control systems are already in use in some European countries: the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK. This system allows passengers to be processed fairly quickly during passport control and, among other things, makes the process more convenient.
"The ultimate goal is to minimize human involvement in this procedure. Purchasing, commissioning, and operating such equipment will be less expensive than hiring and paying additional border guards and equipping their workstations. At the same time, the throughput capacity of automated checkpoints will be increased. The more expensive part is not the kiosks themselves, equipped with fingerprint and document scanners and video cameras, but the organization of data transmission, processing, and storage via secure channels," said Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the Aviaport agency, according to Izvestia.
Source: trn-news.ru