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Thales launches offering for airport security and safety

17 July 2006

Building on its deep-rooted experience as mission-critical system integrator and prime contractor, Thales intends to work with airport operators who are looking for new approaches to address global security risks and improve protection against evolving threats while facilitating the flow of passengers and goods.

Through this new offering, Thales will be addressing the four key areas of airport transformation:

1. The evolution of airport operators from infrastructure providers to Multi-Business Operations (passenger transport, services to airlines, retail, parking, cargo and air freight) with capacity utilisation pressures and profit responsibility.
2. Airports have become nodes of communication, interconnected through hub development, and part of a wider inter-modal transport network, requiring to ensure business continuity.
3. e-Travel is expanding with new processes such as e-check-in, e-booking, e-ticketing, which offer new services for the comfort and convenience of airport users, requiring highly secured IT&C networks.
4. Ensuring security at an airport requires coordinated security between airport operators, police, immigration, airline security, intelligence services, private security services, ... requiring shared situational awareness.

In addressing these challenges, Thales is able to provide a comprehensive set of innovative solutions to its airport customers, providing them with the right balance of IT & network, safety & security technologies, organizational and human factors and tailored solutions to secure flows of people and goods, to ensure business continuity and to protect assets.

This new offering is based on the integration of command, control and supervision centres designed to anticipate and manage incidents in airports. Supervision centres are able to receive, manage and classify alerts, authenticate and authorise access and instruct security resources for action, manage call intakes and also include a help desk for airport visitors and staff.

Safety & Security Operations Centres centralise, integrate and fuse data coming from local supervision centres (critical alarms, CCTV, access control ...) and provide a common operational picture. It is also a management tool for security resource allocation.

Designed for extreme situations, crisis management centres are centralised decision support systems and highly secured hubs created to receive information, disseminate directives for actions and activate emergency plans involving all internal and external stakeholders (police, emergency & medical services, local authorities, ...)

Commenting on the new offering, Franck Greverie, Vice President Thales SHIELDTM, said: "Since September 11, all major international airports have embarked on ambitious programmes to improve security and safety systems. As a trusted partner of airport operators for many years, we bring to them our extensive experience in providing command, control and supervision systems, and our broad portfolio of security & safety solutions, Thales SHIELDTM."

In conjunction with the launch of this offering, Thales is releasing a white paper on airport security transformation which outlines the need for multi-layered co-ordinated security.

About Thales

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, serving defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide, supported by a comprehensive services offering. The group's civil and military businesses develop in parallel to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations. Leveraging a global network of high-level researchers, Thales offers a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy critical information systems. Thales employs 60,000 people in 50 countries and generated revenues of € 10.3 billion in 2005, with a record order book of over € 20 billion.

Thales airport security and safety offer is part of Thales SHIELDTM, the brand name of the whole Group safety and security portfolio. It encompasses Thales' diverse security and safety capabilities.
Thales SHIELDTM solutions protect borders, people, information and physical assets against terrorism, organised crime, natural disasters and infrastructure incidents.

Thales is a leading aeronautical player with innovative solutions in terminal control and protection, air traffic management and air traffic control, airfield safety and security, and avionics.