Morpho (Safran group) today announced that it has installed 4 e-gates at Marseille Provence Airport under the PARAFE* program which carries out biometric identification of passport holders at borders. This is the first deployment of PARAFE e-gates outside of Paris.

Morpho's technology will enable Marseille airport to improve the passenger experience by reducing waiting times and enhancing security.
Under PARAFE, 27 e-gates have been installed in Paris Charles De Gaulle and Paris Orly airports.

The system can be used by all persons over the age of 18 travelling on a European passport, after registration with the French border police. Registration, which is free and takes only a few minutes, is valid in any airport equipped with PARAFE e-gates. Since May 2012, holders of new biometric French passports (issued after July 2009) have been able to use PARAFE e-gates without registering as they can be identified based on the fingerprints already stored in the chip of their passports.

"We are both proud and honored to have equipped Marseille airport with our innovative border control solution", stated Jean-Paul Jainsky, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morpho. "This new contract reflects the success of our PARAFE program in Paris airports. We will now be targeting deployment of our systems in other international airports throughout France."

Morpho has deployed multibiometric (fingerprint, face, iris) automated border control solutions in 23 international airports worldwide and processes more than 600 000 passengers per month. At the end of June, PARAFE crossings hit the one millionth passenger mark.

* PARAFE (Passage Automatisé Rapide des Frontières Extérieures): Automated Fast Track Crossing at External Borders

For further information about PARAFE visit: www.parafe.gouv.fr/en/