Vancouver Airport Authority recognized as leader in Canadian innovation

Vancouver Airport Authority among winners of 2019 Vision to Reality Awards for developing the world's first automated border clearance kiosk

RICHMOND, BC , May 14, 2019 /CNW/ - Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) has been recognized as a winner of PwC Canada's 2019 Vision to Reality (V2R) awards for its self-service border control solution, BorderXpress, in the Builder category. BorderXpress technology was developed by Innovative Travel Solutions (ITS), an independent business unit within Vancouver International Airport. The award ceremony took place in Toronto on May 9, 2019.

"We are honoured to be considered a leader in innovation for our BorderXpress solution. YVR has gone from identifying a universal problem at our own airport with border processing to building a locally-based product that it is now the global market leader," says Craig Richmond, President and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. "With increased demand for air travel and changing border regulations, the industry must embrace innovation to increase efficiencies and improve passenger satisfaction, while maintaining the highest security standards."

V2R is PwC Canada's annual program aimed at recognizing and celebrating the most forward-thinking organizations in Canada. The awards are judged by an independent panel of judges and include four categories: The Visionary, the Builder, the Reinventor and the Accelerator. In addition to Vancouver Airport Authority, British Columbia's Ministry of Health, GHGSat Inc. and Sun Life Financial were also named winners in the other respective categories.   

As the winner of the Builder category, Vancouver Airport Authority had to meet several requirements, including having revenue between CA$51 million and $CA1 billion, as well as being Canadian controlled or headquartered in Canada. The organization also had to demonstrate that it was actively innovating to improve product quality and find service efficiencies to help break through to the next level.

"Congratulations to Vancouver Airport Authority for winning the Builder Award at the 2019 PwC Vision to Reality (V2R) Awards," says Chris Dulny, Chief Innovation Officer, PwC Canada. "Never has there been a more important time to bring together a community of innovators to encourage, support and value Canada's most forward-thinking organizations."

BorderXpress is a self-service border control solution that uses an efficient two-step process to expedite the border clearance process, reducing passenger wait times by more than 60 per cent. This results in cost and space savings and allows border officers to focus on maintaining the safety of the border. BorderXpress provides better exception handling, is fully accessible to persons with disabilities and can be configured with up to 35 different languages. It can process any passenger, including families travelling as a group.

"Technology plays a critical role in modernizing border management so that we can meet the needs of tomorrow's traveller," says Steve Hankinson, Vice President, Innovation and Planning, Vancouver Airport Authority. "At ITS, we have the experience needed to deliver a solution that is guaranteed to succeed – our technology is built by an airport, for airports. The recognition in receiving the Vision to Reality award further drives this home."

ITS delivers industry-leading automated border control solutions that are proven to enhance the overall traveller experience and airport performance. Since 2009, ITS has sold over 1,600 kiosks at 44 airport, seaport and onboard sites around the world, helping more than 250 million passengers clear the border safely and securely.

For more information about the V2R Awards, please visit pwc.com/ca/v2r.

About Vancouver Airport Authority

Vancouver Airport Authority is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that manages Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Canada's second busiest airport, YVR served 25.9 million passengers in 2018. Fifty-six airlines serve YVR, connecting people and businesses to more than 125 non-stop destinations worldwide. In 2019, YVR was voted Best Airport in North America for the tenth consecutive year in the Skytrax World Airport Awards. Vancouver Airport Authority is a dedicated community partner and in 2018 donated more than $1,000,000 to local organizations. We are committed to creating an airport that British Columbia can be proud of: a premier global gateway, local economic generator and community contributor.

yvr.ca

About YVR Innovative Travel Solutions

Innovative Travel Solutions (ITS) is the innovation team at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), voted North America's Best Airport for 10 straight years by Skytrax World Airport Awards. In 2009, the innovation team implemented BORDERXPRESS at Vancouver International Airport and soon discovered that other airports and governments might also want the ability to reduce wait times and increase their international arrivals traffic without having to add additional space or staffing resources. As of May 2019, BORDERXPRESS has processed more than 250 million passengers at 43 airport, seaport and onboard sites around the world and has sold over 1,600 kiosks. In 2018, the team at ITS set their sights on the next innovation in the evolution of the passenger experience with the launch of CHECKITXPRESS, the world's most accessible, efficient and intuitive self-service bag drop. CHECKITXPRESS improves ease of use for travellers regardless of age, digital fluency, language or mobility, and is the result of a collaboration between YVR and Glidepath, one of the world's leaders in airport baggage handling.

Innovativetravelsolutions.ca

SOURCE Vancouver Airport Authority