Oakland International Airport (OAK) has been selected as an official Innovation Task Force Site by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
This will allow OAK to become a test bed for new technologies. The trial programme will begin in Terminal 2 in partnership with Southwest Airlines, and rollout is expected to start within the next six months.
Port of Oakland Director of Aviation, Bryant L. Francis, said: “OAK has had and continues to have great working relationships with our partners at TSA, both locally and in Washington, DC. Historically, selected Innovation Site airports have included the top 20 largest airports plus Chicago Midway, therefore, we see this as a welcome opportunity for OAK to deepen our collaboration with our partners at TSA and Southwest to further improve the travel experience for all of our customers. We believe that the benefits of this collaboration will make our airport safer and more efficient as well.”
Airports at which the TSA establishes its Innovation Sites must meet the following criteria:
- Ability to begin the reconfiguration and installation of security systems expeditiously;
- Ability to share costs through federal funding, airport funding, or otherwise;
- Infrastructure and space needed to reduce vulnerabilities and reconfigure existing security systems, and not negatively impact current screening capacity;
- Impact to security effectiveness and efficiency, including consideration of detection capabilities; and
- Ability of operational staff and stakeholders to support the initiative.
OAK’s participation as an Innovation Task Force Site will promote improved efficiency for passengers at the security checkpoint, and allow the airport to trial technologies such as automated bin return, remote monitoring and computerised topography (CT).
