Since Friday 14th December, Parafe system has been operational at Lyon’s airport, Saint-Exupéry. Its facial recognition feature is intended to save time and maintain the highest security level.

Fifteen passengers by minute. The Parafe system, in English: Rapid Automated Passage of External Borders, was launched on Monday 17th at terminal 1 where border control will be boosted.

One agent controls 5 sas simultaneosly.

Within a context of rising intra-Schengen border control in 2016, the percentage of controlled passengers rose to 70 from 30. The airport had been testing, since February 2016, automated gates with digital recognition. Decision take, Lyon’s airport changed ten sas (five on arrival at T1, five on departure at T1) to facial recognition.

Since last december, one agent is capable of controlling 5 sas at the same time, under the rhythm of five passengers every 20 seconds. Before the changing, one agent per passenger was needed. To benefit from this system made by IN Groupe and Gunnebo, it’s mandatory to have a biometric passport.

32 Europeans nationalities are eligible to the sas against 4 previously.

«The passengers security is a challenging mission and there’s no place for mistakes» spoke Tanguy Bertolus, president of Lyon’s airports directory, who launched the sas in presence of David Clavière, the reeve of security and defense. «With this new system, we are going five times faster».

And this is just the beginning. On first trimester of 2019, ten new sas Parafe will be deployed on arrivals and departures at T1, this time for low-cost flights.

Source: https://www.leprogres.fr/rhone-69-edition-est-lyonnais/2018/12/17/saint-exupery-les-systemes-parafe-fluidifient-les-controles-aux-frontieres