Authorities in Norway intend to tender a contract for Automated Border Control (ABC) e-Gates at Oslo Airport Gardermoen OSL as part of efforts to further enhance the airport’s security.
In addition to installing these electronic gates, authorities in this country are also planning to increase the number of gates in several locations, Schengen.News reports.
The tender notice from the Norwegian Police Shared Services (NPSS) for this purpose has already been opened, named “Procurement of ABC Gates”.
As Biometric Update explains, the authorities are expected to go through the procurement process in 2025. Moreover, it was noted that the contract will most likely be finished in the first half of next year.
The Norwegian Police Shared Services division has allocated approximately €4.5 million for the biometric gates.
New e-Gates Aim to Accelerate Border Crossings
The new gates aim to accelerate the border crossings while maintaining security. The Automated Border Control Gates will permit passengers to complete automated self-checks through various verification methods.
In spite of Norway not being a member of the European Union, it belongs to the European Economic Area; therefore, the procurement is informed by Directive 2014/24/EU, which is in line with the bloc’s procurement standards.
The opportunity for this tender is open to all qualified providers, as specified by the NPSS.
NPSS has expressed interest in developing parts of the controlling software for the e-Gates in-house, according to a report from Tech. Using their own software could grant NPSS more control over the updates and further improvements, facilitating the adjustments needed.
Significant Increase in Air Traffic in 2023
Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL) sees many travellers each year.
A previous report from Travel and Tour World revealed that in May this year, Oslo airport led in passenger growth.
Director of traffic development at Avinor, Gaute Skallerud Riise, said 2024’s statistics marked an improvement compared to the figures from the same period last year.
As we enter June, we see that the summer traffic has gotten off to a good start, with many travel-happy Norwegians heading abroad and tourists coming to Norway. The share of incoming tourists is still rising after the pandemic, and this coming summer is expected to be well above last year for this category of travellers.
Gaute Skallerud Riise, director of traffic development at Avinor
In May this year, a total of 64,419 flights were registered at Oslo’s airport, accounting for a significant increase compared to the same period last year.
According to Avinor, a state-owned company which manages Oslo airport, in 2023, Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL) received a total of 25 million passengers, therefore accounting for an increase of 12 per cent compared to 2022 figures.