WP4 R&D Mobility Fund - Smart Access | Technology and Pax Throughput

Abstract
Schiphol Airport has had challenging years with capacity constraints in its security checkpoints. These challenges resulted in operational inefficiencies which manifested as longer queues, increased processing times, and a need for more security agents. Looking at global developments of legislation a change could be imminent for the screening of shoes. The use of state-of-the-art screening technology has proven to help increase capacity through automation and digitalisation of operational processes in the airport.
In the first semester of this year, Gursharn Ladher started the final phase of his bachelor's study at the University of Applied Sciences. For his bachelor thesis, his research was aimed at determining how implementing new technologies impacts passenger throughput at Schiphol Airport security checkpoints. Specifically, the impact of implementing SG11’s Delta R Shoe Scanner was researched.

For this research, through a simulation model that resembles the security screening process at Schiphol Airport, a baseline was created for the current performance in throughput. Details on the type of passenger and different scenarios that improve passenger throughput were considered. Furthermore, three KPIs were defined to accurately measure the outcome of the simulation, featuring throughput as the primary metric.

The pivotal moment in the analysis was the introduction of the Delta R Shoe Scanner into the simulation model, revealing its significant impact across different scenarios. The primary comparison was drawn between passengers taking off their shoes at a security checkpoint without the Delta R Shoe Scanner and those that were able to keep their footwear on with the scanner in place.

In a scenario where 100% of passengers need to take off their shoes, the simulation indicated a throughput of 249 passengers per hour. Contrastingly, with the Delta R Shoe Scanner implemented, the throughput rose to 379 passengers per hour. This substantial increase in throughput underscores the remarkable efficiency gains facilitated by the Delta R Shoe Scanner.

The findings not only contribute empirically to the discussion on optimizing airport security processes but also provide valuable insights into the tangible benefits of implementing advanced screening technologies. The simulation demonstrated that implementing the Delta R Shoe Scanner increases the throughput by 52% alleviating bottlenecks, streamlining passenger flow, and ultimately enhancing the overall efficiency of security checkpoint operations.
It is important to note that the effectiveness of the Delta R Shoe Scanner correlates to the number of passengers who need to take off their shoes. The higher the percentage of passengers, the greater the benefit.