Australia"™s Melbourne Airport, Qantas Airways, Airports Council International (ACI), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) signed an agreement to work together to develop a Smart Security pilot program for delivery at Melbourne Airport in 2015.
Smart Security is a joint project between IATA and ACI that brings stakeholders together to facilitate the development of innovative solutions to shift today"™s security screening towards a more passenger friendly, sustainable and efficient process. Smart Security looks to achieve this by focusing resources based on risk, using advanced security screening technologies and promoting innovations in process. The agreement for Melbourne Airport is the fourth globally, following in the footsteps of Amsterdam Schiphol, London Heathrow and Doha"™s Hamad International Airports.
"This partnership between Qantas and Melbourne Airport is an important step toward realizing a new model of security that will improve the experience for our passengers while boosting the efficiency of security checkpoints. Global passenger traffic is set to double in the next 20 years. Smart Security responds to this growth as well as continuously evolving security threats," said Tony Tyler, IATA"™s Director General and CEO.
"ACI is looking forward to working with Melbourne Airport and Qantas in cooperation with IATA on the Smart Security pilot program. Having already trialed the program with three other airports, we"™re confident that this latest pilot will result in a more streamlined Smart Security, making it even easier to implement for airports and airlines, and further speeding the security screening process for passengers," said Angela Gittens, ACI"™s Director General.
The signing of this agreement comes at the right time, with the Australian Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development recently releasing the Transport Development Outlook to 2025, indicating a move towards outcomes-based regulation across the transport sector and a desire to see industry participants play a larger role in the "design of measures that lead to more efficient and cost effective security outcome".
2015 Pilot Program
The Smart Security team and Australian industry stakeholders believe the pilot program presents a great opportunity to see this industry-government collaboration in action. The Office of Transport Security, the Australian Government"™s transport security regulator, will be watching closely to make sure that as the proposal develops, industry obtains the relevant regulatory approvals and is consistent with the Australian Government"™s future approach to aviation security.
"Qantas is delighted to join with IATA, ACI and Melbourne Airport on this exciting program of work. We look forward to successfully trialing and implementing new processes that will provide a better, more seamless airport experience for customers while maintaining the highest security standards," said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. The focus for the 2015 Pilot is on optimizing security screening resources and asset utilization, integrating innovative technology, repurposing existing equipment and implementing new procedures to facilitate risk-based passenger screening.
Melbourne Airport CEO, Chris Woodruff, said, "Improving security as well as the overall customer experience at Melbourne Airport are our priorities, and this initiative is aimed at both. We"™re excited to be working with IATA, ACI and Qantas and look forward to the pilot to deliver better results and a better experience for customers."
