Self-Boarding and Automated Boarding Pass Control /Border Crossing Solutions

At the heart of Europe, there is Vienna. The thriving metropolis combines a long tradition with modern lifestyle and a futuristic approach to the challenges of the global village. The city’s geographical position at the intersection between the different parts of Europe makes it an ideal hub for all movements, be it goods, ideas or travelers. And this is where Vienna Airport lies.

Vienna Airport is one of the major hubs into Central and Eastern Europe. It has processed more than 21 million passengers in 2011, which means an increase of almost 80 percent over the last 10 years. And it is still growing. This development called for a major extension of the airport facilities and resulted in the erection of a brand-new terminal, which has been opened in June. In the course of the project named Skylink the new Check-in 3 was built and Check-in 1, 1A and 2 (formerly Terminal 1, 1A and 2) underwent a thorough modernization.

With Check-in 3 the airport operator Flughafen Wien AG has created 150,000 square meters of utmost modernity. Two new gates F and G have been installed where all Austrian Airlines flights will be hosted except for the long-haul flights that require closed gates and additional document check. All this is aiming at waiting times as comfortable as can be and as short as possible, which is a major goal in today’s airport business. Therefore Vienna Airport now features 187 self-boarding lanes that make the boarding process quick and comfortable for passengers and staff. The operator and the system integrator SITA decided for the proven self-boarding solution by Kaba, which has been implemented with great success in many major airports around the world. These gates feature an Argus HSB-M03 half-height sensor barrier with integrated document reader and thermal printer. The reader collects the ticket data from a standard 2D barcode, which are then matched with the Departure Control System (DCS). A successful match leads to a release signal upon which the gate opens. All this takes place within the blink of an eye. In case of class or seat changes the printer will issue a printout before the doors open. The Kaba gate has a sophisticated sensor system that reliably prevents tailgating or unauthorized access, but at the same time detects luggage. This guarantees a comfortable and secure boarding process for both passengers and gate staff.

Vienna Airport has also installed a number of other user-friendly Kaba products, namely one-way corridors PIL-M02 for separation of air side from land side, turnstiles for perimeter security and personal interlocks PIL-M01 for high-security areas. Further Argus HSB-M03 sensor barriers are used as automated boarding pass control devices at the access points to the security area. All Kaba products, of course, match the futurist and comfy design of the new terminal, which has been well received by the passengers. Landscapes of numbers on large LCD walls behind the Check-in 3 boarding gates interact with the travelers walking through the gates, illustrating that passengers drive the change.