The status of Cyprus as a major tourist destination means that air traffic has steadily risen over the years, doubling the capacity the airports were initially designed for. For this reason, Larnaka and Paphos airport are working hard to further develop infrastructure facilities and increase their capacity.

The rapidly changing and complex security environments of both airports have led the management to decide to install a reliable and user-friendly security management system at both airports.

Better access control with AEOS

One of the main reasons for the airports to choose Nedap AEOS as its security management system is the combination of its open architecture and configurable software components, enabling the airports to be more in control of the enforcement of tight security procedures. Another important reason for choosing AEOS is its capability of managing the access control at both airports simultaneously.

The implementation of the systems took place through Glosec Holdings Ltd, the Cyprus-based daughter company of Nedap’s certified business partner Orad Ltd of Israel.

The implemented AEOS security management system at Larnaka International Airport consists of approximately 88 Nedap proximity readers and 11,000 Mifare cards. At Paphos International Airport the AEOS system consists of approximately 28 Nedap proximity readers with 5000 Mifare cards.

Intermediate server to connect both airport systems

The airports of Larnaka and Paphos function independently but are managed and controlled by one company. Therefore, one of the requirements for the installation of the access control system was to have a combined arrangement for both sites. The airports now have their own access control server, but thanks to Nedap’s single server multi site solution, both servers will be connected through an intermediate server in the near future.

This provides the big advantage of an easy exchange of data from both airports. If an access badge is blocked at one airport, it is automatically blocked at the other airport as well. Similarly, all actions taken at one airport can have direct consequences at the other airport.

Centrally managed gate control

Gate control plays a crucial role at both airports. As at any other European airport, gate control is essential for monitoring the difference between Schengen and non-Schengen passengers. This is often still managed locally at the gate, where the staff member responsible for the gate has to personally check all the entrances each time an aircraft arrives or departs.

In order to make absolutely sure that the various passenger flows follow different routes, Nedap has developed a gate control application derived from Nedap’s security controller. This is the world’s first controller that combines all security functions previously performed by separate dedicated systems in one generic device.

With Nedap’s gate control, the gates are linked to a network that centrally monitors the door settings and locally controls the gates. To set the gate doors to the right position, authorised staff members present their badge, show a finger print and enter a code or flight number. This is all done locally at the gate.

Given that the control system is linked to a network infrastructure, all the gate doors in the system can now be monitored online with one management platform. All actions performed at the gate locally show up as events in AEOS, making it possible to see, for example, if all doors have functioned well during a month. The use of a network infrastructure and gate controllers saves time and makes it possible to operate the gates more efficiently and with less personnel.

The Cyprus airports are currently non-Schengen but with the Nedap gate control solution the system is ready for post-Schengen.