Melbourne Tullamarine has joined Amsterdam Schiphol, London Heathrow and Hamad International in Doha as the fourth airport to conduct a pilot program designed to develop new solutions to security screening.
The Smart Security initiative is a joint project between the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airports Council International (ACI).
It hopes to create a more passenger friendly, sustainable and efficient process for security screening.
The 2015 pilot program at Melbourne was focused on optimising security screening resources and asset utilisation, integrating innovative technology, repurposing existing equipment and implementing new procedures to facilitate risk-based passenger screening, IATA said in a statement.
Melbourne Airport and Qantas will work together on the pilot program at Tullamarine.
“We look forward to successfully trialling and implementing new processes that will provide a better, more seamless airport experience for customers while maintaining the highest security standards,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said.
Australia’s Office of Transport Security would be watching the pilot program to ensure it was consistent with the Australian government’s future approach to aviation safety, IATA said.
“Global passenger traffic is set to double in the next 20 years. Smart Security responds to this growth as well as continuously evolving security threats,” IATA chief executive Tony Tyler said.
“This partnership between Qantas and Melbourne Airport is an important step toward realising a new model of security that will improve the experience for our passengers while boosting the efficiency of security checkpoints.”
