Enhancing traveller experience at Trinidad and Tobago airports

Over 178 countries including the vast majority of Caricom states are now using e-passports as part of an automated border control system involving a combination of technological, operational, and cooperative strategies designed to enhance the facilitation of legitimate inbound and outbound travel.

ICAO Annex 9 - Facilitation prescribes standards that are aimed at streamlining border clearance (customs, immigration, health) for aircraft, passengers, crew, baggage, and cargo, reducing delays while ensuring security and compliance with national laws. It covers procedures from aircraft entry to passenger departure, emphasising the efficient management of passenger data such as passenger name record (PNR) and adapting to new technologies and security threats.

States are increasingly implementing automated data exchange to enhance the security of international travel without slowing down passenger flow at border control check points. The use of advance passenger information systems (APIS) enables the transmission of passenger data (eg, passport details) to the border control agencies of the destination country prior to flight arrival for risk assessment and the identification of potential threats, such as human trafficking or terrorism.

ICAO Annex 9 sets the standards for travel documents to ensure global interoperability. The ICAO has prescribed the new standards for the implementation of Electronic Passports (e-passports) systems. As of January 1, states issuing e-passports must implement password authenticated connection establishment (PACE) to enhance data protection.

PACE is a secure protocol for e-passports and IDs, creating an encrypted link using a password such as a PIN or card access number and amplifying it for secure communication and protecting against skimming an eavesdropping. PACE replaces older methods like basic access control (BAC). With the use of the e-passport chip, PACE allows border control terminals to securely authenticate traveller data establishing a trusted channel for information exchange, ensuring privacy and preventing unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Modern versions of the e-passport that can be extended to a passenger’s mobile device, enabling "seamless travel" with fewer physical touchpoints.

Annex 9 also prescribe the standards for the use of e-gates and e-kiosks that authenticate documents and biometrically verify the identity of the passenger thereby significantly reducing the time taken to comply with border control formalities.

The Airports Authority of TT (AATT) is a very active member of Airports Council International (ACI).which is the global trade association for the world's airport authorities. It represents over 2,100 airports in 170 countries.

ACI works with ICAO to advocate new facilitation standards to enhance passenger experience without comprising border control requirements.

In this regard, on December 17th 2017, the AATT awarded a contract to NOVO Technology Incorporation Limited for an automated border control system at both the Piarco and ANR Robinson International Airports in accordance with the requirements of the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago Act (Chapter 49:02) and its Tender Rules.

On July 16, 2018 the then minister of national security, Major General (Ret'd) Edmund Dillon and minister of works and transport Rohan Sinanan commissioned 12 automated border control system kiosks at the Piarco International Airport.

Delivering the feature address at the launch Dillon noted that this automated system will strengthen TT’s border control with the larger and related goal of mitigating the risks of transnational organized crime through increased trans-border intelligence and information sharing.

However, at a post-cabinet press briefing on May 9 2019, Stuart Young, then the new minister of national security, indicated that due to certain ‘red flags”, retired judge Rolston Nelson was appointed to investigate the award of the contract to Novo. Young explained the “red flags” went up when it became apparent that a contract was executed between AATT and the company for installation of the kiosks for Piarco and Tobago’s airports. Young said, "Cabinet had no idea that this was being discussed or being entered into."

Justice Nelson’s investigations did not identify any breaches of the AATT’s Act or its tender rules.

The action by the Cabinet to suspend the contract was seen as unjustified and raised questions about executive overreach.

On May 26, 2020, Sinanan in response to a question in the Senate stated that the investigation into the contract for the automated passport kiosks at the Piarco and ANR Robinson airports has found ”serious corporate governance issues” and was being further investigated by the Office of the Attorney General. When pressed by supplemental questions, the minister did not identify the governance issues stating the matter was the subject of ongoing investigations. The minister further informed the Senate that the AATT is “an authority that has the purview to sign and terminate contracts without the guidance of the government.”

This was in sharp contrast to Young’s previous statement on May 9, 2019 that neither the actual contract nor the supplemental ever came before cabinet and the circumstances under which the contracts were granted were strange and merited urgent investigation. “The contract has very onerous terms. We saw massive red flags and need to ask ‘why did you enter this contract and on whose authority did you enter it’,” Young said.

In the meantime, Novo Technology Incorporation Ltd has implemented a full nationwide border control management system for the government of Guyana where passengers can complete the online immigrations forms prior to departure and upon arrival, clear the immigration biometric e-gates at CJIA in under 20 seconds. The system fully integrates with all of Guyana’s land and marine border control checkpoints. Novo also worked with the Guyana Data Management Authority to develop the ICAO compliant technological backbone for the issuance of e-passports to Guyanese citizens.

Guyana is also a member of the ICAO public key directory (PKD) allowing Guyanese travellers with e-passports to access e-gates worldwide and significantly reduce border control processing times.

As TT forges ahead with its revitalisation plans, an automated border control system including the use of e-passports by citizens of TT is yet to be implemented by the Immigration Division. Such a system can strengthen border security and reduce passenger wait-times at ports of entry resulting in enhanced passenger experiences by all visitors.

As a signatory to the Chicago convention, TT has a serious international treaty obligation to comply with all the standards of Annex 9- Facilitation to the Chicago Convention.