The digitisation of security and access processes at airports is gaining in importance worldwide. A recent example comes from Changi Airport in Singapore, which has developed a comprehensive solution for managing airport passes in collaboration with security service provider Certis and biometrics specialist TBS Biometrics. The project has now been recognised at the Singapore Technology Excellence Awards 2026 in the ‘Digital Aviation’ category.

Access management for 60,000 users

Changi Airport is one of Asia’s most important air transport hubs. Every day, around 60,000 employees, business partners, service providers, contractors and visitors rely on different access authorisations to carry out activities in security-critical areas, in retail or in airport operations.
Managing these access rights places high demands on security, efficiency and traceability. Until recently, the majority of processes were still carried out manually and involved in-person visits, waiting times and administrative effort.

APIC replaces manual processes

To modernise these processes, the Changi Airport Group, Certis and TBS Biometrics jointly developed the “Airport Pass in Changi” (APIC). The aim was to fully digitise the application, approval and issuance process for airport passes.
The solution combines several technologies into a seamless digital process. These include the national digital identity platform Singpass, automated verification and approval workflows, online payment functions, and biometric identity checks at self-service kiosks.
At the heart of the solution is biometric verification using TBS 3D Air technology, which has been integrated directly into the APIC kiosks. This allows users to verify their identity independently and without manual checks.

Significantly shorter waiting times

According to the project partners, the introduction of the biometric self-service solution has led to significant efficiency gains.
The Seasonal Airport Pass Office now operates seven APIC kiosks and processes around 250 airport passes daily. Whilst the issuance and collection of a seasonal pass previously took an average of around 90 minutes, this time has been reduced to around ten minutes. This represents a time saving of approximately 85 per cent.
The effect is even more pronounced with visitor passes. The Visitor Pass Offices in Terminals 1 to 4, which are open round the clock, process around 1,300 visitor entries daily. Whilst waiting times of between 30 and 60 minutes were common during peak periods in the past, the maximum waiting time is now just five minutes, according to the company. This represents an improvement of up to 80 per cent.
Additional benefits arise from the introduction of single-use wristbands for visitors. These replace the need to exchange ID documents and eliminate the need for returns or repeat visits to the issuing offices. At the same time, entries and exits are digitally documented. The system automatically detects when visitors exceed permitted stay times in security-critical areas and can trigger corresponding warning messages.

Reduced administrative burden

In addition to the benefits for users and visitors, APIC has also fundamentally transformed internal administrative processes.
Document checks, approval procedures, data validation and payment processes have been largely automated. This has significantly reduced the manual workload.
According to project managers, digitisation has led to a reduction in staffing requirements at the Airport Pass Office of around 30 per cent. The freed-up staff resources were not cut, but rather redeployed to security-related tasks with higher added value. These include, for example, handling exceptions, security monitoring, compliance tasks and quality assurance.
For airport operators, this is an important aspect. Digitalisation does not necessarily replace staff, but rather enables a focus on activities that require human decisions and security-related assessments.

Security through digital identities and biometrics

The award highlights a fundamental trend in the international airport sector: security and user-friendliness are increasingly no longer seen as opposites.
The APIC platform utilises the government identity solution Singpass as well as the verified data from the Myinfo system. This is supplemented by biometric identity checks and automated audit logs.
This allows for more reliable verification of applicants’ identities, whilst simultaneously reducing sources of error in manual processes. For operators, this means greater traceability of all processes and improved compliance.
Particularly in highly sensitive areas such as airports, where thousands of people gain access to security-critical zones every day, the quality of identity verification is becoming increasingly important.

A model for the next generation of airport security

From the security industry’s perspective, the project exemplifies how modern biometrics can be deployed beyond traditional border controls. Whilst biometric procedures are often associated with passenger processing or automated border crossings, APIC addresses an area that has received less attention to date: the management of staff, service providers and visitors.
At the same time, the platform has been designed to support future requirements. Rising passenger numbers, new regulatory requirements or future standards for digital identities can be integrated into the existing architecture.
The award at the Singapore Technology Excellence Awards 2026 thus not only confirms the technical capabilities of the project. It also highlights how biometrics-based automation can help make critical infrastructure more efficient, secure and, at the same time, more user-friendly.
Changi is thus likely to serve once again as a model for airports worldwide – not only in passenger processing, but also in the secure management of identities and access rights behind the scenes of airport operations.