AUSTRALIA’S Department of Immigration and Border Protection last month revealed the implementation of a new SITA system which automatically runs checks on all passengers departing the country. The iBorders platform provides real-time integration between airline check-in systems and border management databases run by the department, providing an instant “board/no board” status as passengers attempt to pass through the airport.
The system has been put in place following federal legislation to improve Australia’s border integrity, including the Foreign Fighters Act which aims to respond to the threat posed by Australians engaging in and returning from conflicts in foreign states. SITA regional sales director Jay Youlten told travelBulletin the system, developed in SITA’s Sydney-based centre of excellence, is an extension of the platform first put in place for inbound travellers leading up to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. iBorders allows passengers who are pre-cleared for departure to quickly self-process through passport control by using outbound SmartGates in Australia’s international airports.
John Gibbon, who’s Assistant Secretary Traveller Branch at the Department of Immigration, said the new system delivers a faster and more seamless experience for travellers “while meeting our business needs to manager threats and ensure the integrity of Australia’s border”. A total of 47 airlines operating in Australia are now fully certified with the iBorders system, which is running about two million transactions a month.
While SITA’s iBorders suite has been implemented by about 30 governments across the globe for arriving passengers, it’s understood that Australia is the first country in the world to implement such a system for outbound travellers. SITA’s Asia Pacific president Ilya Gutlin said “working in sync with the airlines, Australia now runs advance, automatic checks on every passenger arriving or departing the country, making the journey smoother for authorised travellers while addressing issues with persons of interest”.
