News & Media

Vision-Box and Princess Juliana International Airport Announce Contract Extension to Continue Deploying Biometric Technology

Bay, St. Maarten (April 16, 2021) – Vision-Box announced that it has extended its contract with the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), in St. Maarten. The partnership aims to support the economic recovery of the island, after the impacts of hurricane Irma, Jose, Maria and COVID-19, with the airport being the gateway to the twin nation island and the hub partners of the neighboring islands.

The expanded partnership will see the rollout of the latest and most innovative biometric service platform across the airport, enabling a seamless experience for all travelers, and a modern border control ecosystem at entry and exit of the island. The contract extension builds on the existing partnership formed in 2015, when PJIAE and the Immigration Border Protection service first sought to enhance passenger experience and security, with the launch of Vision-Box’s biometric Automated Border Control solutions, including an Advance Passenger Information System.

The seamless technology offered by Vision-Box is fueled by its award-winning Orchestra Digital Identity Management Platform – a state-of-the-art touchless and contactless passenger processing at the airport to provide safety and security in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasing need to enhance the digitization of border control procedures. By implementing Orchestra, the Sint Maarten stakeholders will have greater control over the flow of people on-premises, while leveraging a data rich environment to improve its entry/exit systems including the capacity to consume passenger data insights before arrival.

With most of PJIAE’s traffic coming from Europe and the United States, maximizing its infrastructure with automation and biometric technologies will be crucial in sustaining the economic recovery in order to maintain its position in a very competitive Caribbean market.

Vision-Box’s contactless technology will offer a sophisticated traveler experience, comprising an identification, clearance, and safety monitoring environment. The new infrastructure offers a suite of digital tools that reduces or eliminates passenger contact with touchscreen surfaces, and physical interaction with airport and airline staff, thus providing a safe travel experience.

Speaking about the partnership Jeff Lennon, Vice President Strategic Sales and Global Partnerships at Vision-Box, said: “We are delighted to continue working with PJIAE N.V, and the Government of St. Maarten, building on our trusted partnership over the years. St. Maarten has been going through unprecedented tough times for the last 3 years following hurricane Irma and the pandemic. We fully embrace the vision of the airport to become one of the role models of an agile digital travel platform in the region, enabling them to attract more happy tourists to foster GDP and sustainability in the mid-term. The Orchestra Digital Identity Management Platform will be a springboard for passenger satisfaction, making Sint Maarten a top choice and seamless destination to travel to.”

Michel Hyman, Chief Operating Officer of Sint Maarten Airport, said: “The airport industry is going through a major business transformation. To remain aligned with the industry’s future development, technology will play a vital facet of a seamless travel journey at airports to ensure a smooth operation and positive passenger experience. The technology will simplify the operations at the border and security checkpoints. The automatic controls will offer security suitability while improving the process of biometric identity checks against various watchlists. Our extended partnership with Vision-Box is the ideal platform to support our market recovery and future sustainability, taking advantage of the successful collaboration we built our trust upon”

The deal with Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) caps the latest high-profile project by Vision-Box over the last twelve (1)2 months, which included the launch of automated pre-security gates at the Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan, the implementation of an integrated Biometric experience for Emirates Airline at Terminal 3 of the Dubai International Airport, and a regional strategic partnership with AirAsia Group, to implement industry-leading, identity management technology across its network of 152 airports.