Screenings at the airport have never been this fast

Milan airports have been significantly investing in innovative technology to ensure a fast and pleasant experience for passengers, while reducing operational costs and waiting time. The main innovation concerns self bag drop stations, face-boarding and EDS-CB technology.

Starting the passenger’s journey with the self bag drop, which allow travelers to check-in their luggage independently without ground staff assistance. A further step that SEA Milan Airports is putting in place to ensure an increasingly seamless and safe experience at the airport, through 21 machines operating at Malpensa Terminal 2 for EasyJet passengers.

We continue with our pilot project of Face boarding: an experimental project in place at Linate airport, which employs an innovative facial recognition system that allows passengers to go through security screening and boarding procedures without having to show their ID or passport. Instead, they can simply unlock checkpoints by showing their face.

The project is in a test phase until August 31st 2023 for passengers older than 18 and on voluntary participation, only for a restricted target area. The test phase concerns ITA Airways passengers on the Milan Linate – Rome Fiumicino route and SAS passengers on the Milan Linate – Stockholm Arlanda route, holding a passport or Italian electronic identity card issued after January 1st, 2016. Passengers will have to enroll on the system at the Face Boarding kiosks near check-in aisle 8, where they will be asked to scan their boarding pass and face. However, they also may choose not to use the new system and travel in the traditional way.

The implementation of this system has been possible through the collaboration with ENAC (Italian civil aviation authority) and the State Police. Following the privacy act requirements, ID or passport personal data are stored in an encrypted form for a period ranging from 24 hours up until 31st August 2023, depending on passengers’ consent. Boarding passes data is deleted 24 hours after flight departure, while face images are not retained and used exclusively to create the biometric model.

At last Milan’s airports of Malpensa and Linate are both equipped with new security screening machines incorporating EDS-CB (Explosive Detection System for Cabin Baggage) technology. The latest generation machines employ TAC technology to inspect carry-on luggage, substituting previous X-rays system. This solution can detect and signal to the operator potential explosive substances without the necessity of separating liquids and electronic devices from the passenger’s carry-on. This keeps security levels high while allowing travelers to considerably shorten the wait times for security checks.

Compared to 2019 data from Linate Airport, in 2023 for the same number of passengers, we registered a decrease of 50% in waiting time at security checkout, counting only 4 minutes and 47 seconds in 90% of cases, and shifting from 125 passengers per hour in 2019 to 200 in 2023.