The airline wanted a modern access control system but initially was wary of electronic access control equipment, doubting it could provide the reliability of sustained operations in a tropical, ocean-based environment with 85% humidity, comments John Crummock, Vidsec sales director. After a trial involving one lock, the airport was convinced, he says.

Vidsec then installed an electronic system to replace a mix of padlocked outer security doors and Euro cylinders and mortise locks on inner doors, eliminating problems the airport was having with key control and unauthorized access.

XS4 MIFARE operated locks were installed on bonded stores within the catering department and also in the main terminal building, controlling access to the main ticketing/check-in area as well as to a number of upper level administration offices.

The contactless Comfort MIFARE range in stainless steel is now used to control access to the engineering stores where jet and turbo-prop engines, accessories, high value spares and specialist tools are kept. Doors in both the engineering and bonded stores are on-line with access controlled via wall mounted readers using Salto’s Virtual Network technology.

This system allows the locks to read, receive and write information via the MIFARE operating cards. Since most access related information is kept encrypted on the cards, the wall readers are able to update and receive information from the cards at any time. This means not only is the system easy to use, but its clever functionality also provides 90% of the benefits of a fully on line access control system at the cost of a stand alone system.

On-card audit trails through normal use also gives the airline control over access and enables personnel to track the movement of staff into and out of restricted areas. This allows an access profile of each staff member to be established and updated as necessary at the wall readers.

Any access cards that are lost or stolen can be deleted from the system just by visiting the readers with up-dated cards. This also reduces the number of visits necessary to off-line doors, since user data is transferred on cards by normal usage. And it also eliminates the need to replace locks if security is breached due to the loss or theft of an access card.

With future expansion plans and passenger traffic at Seychelles International Airport expected to grow, the next step will be to implement departmental operation to the Salto Virtual Network system. This will allow each department at the airport to manage just its doors and users, while certain other doors and users can be simultaneously shared with other areas.

Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, which is composed of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, and operates a fleet of nine planes including four Boeing 767s. It provides inter-island services and international flights to nine destinations on three continents.