Aruba Happy Flow launched at Aruba Airport

A unique and innovative passenger pilot project was launched on May 28, 2015 at Aruba Airport:

Aruba Happy Flow.

 The signal for the official launch was given by Aruban Prime Minister Mike Eman in

the presence of Minister of Justice Arthur Dowers, Minister of Tourism Otmar Oduber, President & CEO Schiphol Group Jos Nijhuis, Senior Vice President KLM Security Services Ben Swagerman, CEO Aruba Airport Authority N.V. James Fazio, Senior VP Vision-Box Miguel Leitmann and other invitees.  

 Aruba Happy Flow is an innovative passenger process in which the passenger is only required to show his or her passport once throughout the journey at the airport. The use of facial recognition then allows the passenger to proceed to check-in, drop off baggage, pass the border and board the aircraft, all without being asked to show a passport or boarding pass again.

 In order to do this, Aruba Happy Flow combines the public process of border control with the private passenger process at the airport. This is unique in the world and has been designed to streamline the passenger process, making it fast and secure.

 Cooperative effort

Aruba Happy Flow is the result of a cooperative effort by Aruba, the Netherlands, Aruba Airport, Schiphol Group and KLM. Following a tender procedure, Vision Box was awarded implementation of the project.

 Prime Minister Mike Eman of Aruba says, "Happy Flow is an extremely innovative and important step in the transportation industry for passengers, not only for Aruba but worldwide. Aruba is very proud to launch this unique concept by bringing together public and private parties. Happy Flow is another milestone in creating a sustainable knowledge economy in Aruba and fortifying the development of Aruba as a hub. I am very much satisfied with this first phase concrete result from the partnership that was formed on the initiative of Aruba with the Government of the Netherlands, KLM and Schiphol to make this project possible as a prelude to the EU Pre Clearance ambition of Aruba."

 “With Aruba Happy Flow, together we have made an innovative step to further improve the comfort for the passenger. This is a unique project where amongst others the public and private passenger processes are combined. I have high expectations of the results. If the experience and test results are positive, we will further develop this project,” according to Schiphol’s Jos Nijhuis.
Ben Swagerman: “KLM is always keen on possibilities to further improve convenience for its passengers. This is why we are happy to be able to contribute to this innovative project, which will both simplify and speed up the entire process from checking in to boarding as passengers will only have to present their travel documents once”.

 “As the Happy Island’s National airport, we are proud to introduce Aruba Happy Flow. This project further demonstrates our commitment to improving the passenger experience, and introducing new and innovative technology solutions in order to meet our future growth in passenger traffic and maintain the highest levels of safety and security. This project was an extraordinary example of how the public and private sector can work collaboratively and achieve great things. What has been accomplished today will have the attention of airports around the world, regardless of size, we share many of the same challenges, and today, we are leading the way in a viable and innovative solution to improving the airport experience,” said AAA CEO James Fazio. 

“We are making history in Aruba today, starting a new era in the aviation sector. Happy Flow is the first ever 100% self-service passenger flow based on the use of biometrics to provide a secure, quick and happy experience for the passengers. Furthermore it provides the authorities with a powerful end-to-end management platform which allows for the monitoring of the whole passenger process with multiple security, efficiency and revenue benefits, respecting the privacy of data at all times,” said Senior VP Vision Box Miguel Leitmann.

Two years

The Aruba Happy Flow pilot will operate at Aruba Airport for two years. At first only a limited group of KLM passengers travelling with an EU passport will be invited to participate in the pilot.  They will be invited to do so, upon departure, at the airport on Aruba.

If the results of the pilot are encouraging, expansion of the project to include larger groups of passengers is possible. Additional possibilities include integration with the security process, or the introduction of the Happy Flow process at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

 Aruba

As a member of the Dutch Kingdom, the island of Aruba is a front runner in the Caribbean region in the fields of renewable energy, social- and economic sustainable development. Aruba provides an opportunity for many innovative projects and is host to diverse organizations worldwide. A great example hereof, is the partnership with the Carbon War Room of Sir Richard Branson, to transition Aruba off fossil fuels by 2020 and to serve as a model for other Caribbean islands. Aruba is actively working towards this goal with the help of several other prestigious strategic partners, such as the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and Phillips.

 Aruba Airport

Aruba Airport Authority’s business is twofold:

To manage and operate Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix as a safe, secure, financially self-sustainable and customer oriented, outstanding Caribbean airport.

To create a prosperous airport business community to contribute to the economic growth and development of Aruba, maintaining high accountability standards.

 In April 2004 Aruba Airport Authority has entered into a Strategic Co-operation Agreement with Schiphol International. Schiphol International is the division responsible for international activities at the Schiphol Group, owner and manager of amongst others Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

 The Strategic Co-operation between the Aruba Airport Authority and Schiphol Group will focus on making maximum use of Reina Beatrix International Airport’s commercial potential, to strengthen its financial position and to assist the airport in further developing the facilities on and around the airport, in order to develop Reina Beatrix International Airport into one of the leading airports in the Caribbean.

Schiphol Group

Schiphol Group is an enterprise that operates airports in the Netherlands, conducts international activities and participates in airports abroad. Operating Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the Group's largest activity.

 Of Europe's main hub airports, over the years Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has grown into Europe's Preferred Airport, with direct connections to 319 destinations and almost 55 million passenger.

 Schiphol Group collaborates closely with foreign airports which can strengthen its position, including the airports operated by Aéroports de Paris, a company in which Schiphol Group has   8% cross-participation. In addition, Schiphol Group is involved in Terminal 4 at JFK International Airport in New York, and is engaged in a strategic collaboration with Incheon Airport, has an interest in Brisbane Airport and conduct operations at the airports of Hong Kong and Aruba. In all, these international activities account for a significant part of Schiphol Group's results.

 KLM

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines was founded in 1919, making it the world’s oldest airline still operating under its original name. In 2004, Air France and KLM merged to form AIR FRANCE KLM. The merger produced the strongest European airline group based on two powerful brands and hubs – Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Retaining its own identity, the group focuses on three core businesses: passenger transport, cargo and aircraft maintenance.

 In the Netherlands, KLM comprises the core of the KLM Group, which further includes KLM Cityhopper, transavia.com and Martinair. KLM serves all its destinations using a modern fleet and employs over 32,000 people around the world. KLM is a leader in the airline industry, offering reliable operations and customer-oriented products resulting from its policy of enthusiasm and sustainable innovation.

KLM is a member of the global SkyTeam airline alliance, offering customers an extensive worldwide network. The KLM network connects the Netherlands to every important economic region in the world and, as such, serves as a powerful driver for the economy.

Vision-Box

Vision-Box® is the leading provider of end-to-end Passenger Experience solutions, including Automated Border Control and electronic identity solutions, which use ICAO-compliant standards. Since the deployment of the first eGate with facial recognition in the world, Vision-Box® has been providing airports, border control and airlines with customized end-to-end biometric-based solutions, which improve passenger experience and, through a modular and robust IT platform, created under the principles of Privacy by Design, facilitate the centralized control, orchestration and optimization of all operations regarding passenger flow management, thus aggregating complex, security-critical Border Control and Identity Management solutions into a single comprehensive, holistic and open layer. Vision-Box® has already deployed more than 1000 Automated Border Control and Passenger Experience solutions in 50 international airports and operates over 3000 electronic identity systems worldwide.

----

For additional information contact press office of:

Aruba Airport Authority N.V. +297 5242424 or pr@airportaruba.com

Schiphol Group +31 206 012 673 or press@schiphol.nl

Aruba a.steenbergen@arubagovernment.eu

KLM +31 206494545

Vision-Box +351 211 543 900