Capital call on sterile security

Canberra Airport has turned to facial recognition technology in its areas that are beyond passenger screening.

Canberra Airport managing director Stephen Byron. Picture: Kym Smith

Canberra Airport has turned to facial recognition technology in its areas that are beyond passenger screening.

As airports across countries including Australia trial biometrics, The Australian can reveal Canberra is using the technology in the areas accessed by staff and contractors, known as the “sterile” area. The move adds to the other checks already in place such as security cards. “We no longer want to rely on security cards and keys alone to secure the most sensitive areas of the airport,” Canberra Airport boss Stephen Byron said. “We believe the bar must be set higher than that.”

He said the technology system was quick, taking about a second. Under the scheme for aviation security identification cards, people who are regularly getting into the “sterile” areas of the sector already face background checks. In the wake of the September 11 terror strikes, the scheme was beefed up.

Mr Byron said the technology, developed by NoahFace, would ensure a record and timeline of people going in and out of sterile areas. In the most secure areas of Canberra Airport, a threefold authorisation process is used that requires a manual ID check, the biometric reading and a key. The airport plans to expand the facial recognition technology to the corporate offices of the Capital Airport Group.