The Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa (Barsa) has requested a meeting with the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, to discuss the challenges airlines are facing with the disruption being caused by the newly installed biometric system at border control points across South African airports. The Board has already met with the border management authority.
CEO of Barsa, George Mothema, told Travel News that Barsa was aware of the concerns and issues arising from the implementation of the new biometric system, leading to significant delays and disruptions at the country’s largest airports.
“This meeting is scheduled to take place this week and we are optimistic that it will pave the way for a collaborative solution to the current challenges.
“Barsa remains committed to working closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the biometric system operates smoothly, minimising delays and ensuring a positive experience for all passengers and airlines.”
While the installation of the biometric system has been phased, problems with the new technology have persisted since the project began in 2022, according to Airlines Association of South Africa CEO, Aaron Munetsi.
“The breakdowns, bottlenecks and withdrawal of critical air transport infrastructure and services, which airlines and passengers pay for in the form of user charges, levies and taxes on air travel, signals an indifference to the aviation industry and a failure to grasp its significant contribution to the country’s economy,” Munetsi lamented in a statement on July 31.
Acsa has said it was aware of problems and glitches with the implementation of the R380 million project, but did not respond when asked for further comment.
Acsa told IOL it was working on addressing the challenges through “comprehensive passenger education and delivery of the new system”. The organisation said new, foolproof technology would be launched in November to combat the issues.
French company Idemia was selected by Acsa to implement the biometric solution across the country’s biggest international airports, OR Tambo, Cape Town International and King Shaka International last year.
According to Acsa, this biometric passenger flow facilitation solution has been deployed successfully across the world, in Singapore’s Changi Airport and at Hyderabad, Goa and Delhi airports in India.
Idemia was set to work alongside South African-based company InfoVerge to install the technology. In a statement from InfoVerge’s chief strategy officer France Nkoe, the company said: “Our company was initially part of this landmark project, awarded to Idemia and InfoVerge as a 30% BBBEE partner. However, due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, we have been sidelined. It is on this basis that we have sought legal counsel, wherein Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is one of the respondents.”
InfoVerge stressed that the company is not involved in the current implementation of the new technology and are not responsible for any issues that may have arisen.