Six-month trial for Simplifying Passenger Travel at Hong Kong International Airport

(HONG KONG, 5 January 2007) - Hong Kong permanent identity card holders, who are frequent flyers between Hong Kong and London, will be invited to participate in "SPEED", a Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT) trial jointly conducted by Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Hong Kong Immigration Department and Cathay Pacific Airways from January to June, 2007.

To enrol, eligible applicants who have been invited by Cathay Pacific must provide valid travel documents and their fingerprints for biometric identification. A SPEED card will be issued to each successful participant.

By integrating airport, immigration and airline processes in real time, SPEED is the first model in the world to offer participating travellers a range of benefits, including enhanced Internet check-in, dedicated baggage drop and designated channels for restricted area access, immigration control, security clearance and aircraft boarding. Cardholders checking in via the Internet and travelling without checked luggage can proceed directly to the restricted area and onwards through immigration and security.  Cardholders are automatically eligible to enrol in the UK Immigration Service's Iris Recognition Immigration System, which allows for automated entry clearance.

Application Procedures

To apply for a SPEED card, passengers must fly between Hong Kong and London Heathrow on Cathay Pacific Airways, be over 18, and be a holder of Hong Kong permanent identification card. Applicants are required to complete a form. The Hong Kong Immigration Department will notify successful applicants and schedule an interview with them near the time of their next departure to London. Enrolment takes place at HKIA, and a SPEED card, valid until 30 June 2007, is then issued to the participant.

The SPT is a programme initiated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The IATA helped to set up, in 2000, an organisation entitled Simplifying Passenger Travel Interest Group (SPTIG) to study the feasibility of simplifying the air travel process for passengers and enhancing aviation security by making use of the up-to-date technologies, including biometric identification.

The Immigration Department, HKIA and Cathay Pacific Airways joined the SPTIG in 2002.

Currently, the SPT Board has 16 members, including IATA and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO. There are over 60 members from international airlines, airport authorities, technology providers and border control authorities.

Based on the "Ideal Process Flow" developed by the SPTIG, SPEED is part of the SPT trial conducted at the airports in Hong Kong, London Heathrow and Dubai. In July 2006, the Director of the Hong Kong Immigration Department, Mr. Lai Tung Kwok, and the Director of Border Control of the United Kingdom Immigration Service, Mr Tony Smith, signed a letter of intent to pursue the SPT trial.  The Hong Kong Immigration Department will supervise the enrolment process and will be the sole manager of the SPEED participants database.

HKIA funded and co-ordinated the research and development of the technology that underpins SPEED. HKIA also provided dedicated restricted area access and security clearance for SPEED cardholders.

Cathay Pacific Airways will invite passengers to participate in the trial and provide enhanced Internet check-in, dedicated baggage drop and priority boarding facilities, thereby making the SPEED trial programme more attractive to passengers.