Ireland West Airport Knock Airport invests in SALTO access control solution

Ireland West Airport Knock has chosen its SALTO XS4 access control system to provide advanced security management

Ireland West Airport Knock is Ireland's fourth international airport and features modern passenger and commercial facilities as well as extensive aircraft operation areas. Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and servicing in excess of 629 000 passengers per year, the Airport is the main international air access gateway for the West, North West and Midland regions of Ireland. The Airport has also experienced rapid development and now serves more than 20 scheduled and charter destinations across Ireland, the UK, Europe and beyond.

Welcoming the new partnership with SALTO Systems, Tomas Grimes, Property Manager, Ireland West Airport Knock said: "We are delighted to welcome the SALTO Systems brand to Ireland West Airport Knock. Following the completion of our new terminal building we wanted to update and modernize Airport access control system security and felt that SALTO Systems offered the best solutions and mechanics, namely its aviation leading XS4 Mifare smart card access control system. We look forward to working with SALTO to roll out this security system throughout the Airport and building a long successful relationship with them."

The Airport has an ambitious rolling infrastructural investment and improvement programme worth €46million and work includes a number of significant civil and building projects including a new terminal expansion. A substantial extension to the apron will see this more than double in size, while other improvements include improvements to safety and security systems, expanded aircraft handling facilities and a Category II Instrumentation Landing Systems (CAT II ILS) on runway 27 to enhance the reliability of the airport in low visibility conditions.

Commenting on the new deal with Ireland West Airport Knock Aznar Sethna, SALTO Systems Area Sales Manager Northern Europe said:

"As part of their planned security improvement programme, Ireland West Airport Knock required a highly secure and reliable security solution that could be customised to meet their specific environmental needs. To meet this expectation SALTO was approached to supply its aviation leading XS4 Mifare smart card access control system which through operations with British Airways, British Airports Authority and DHL Air Cargo among others has a proven record as one of the most reliable and resilient airport security solutions available. SALTO Systems' approved Irish Distributor, Doorware Ltd was appointed security installer for the project".

Ireland West Airport Knock selects Salto's XS4 Mifare smart card access control system as a part of their planned security improvement programme

Going beyond just access control, SALTO provided the Airport with a reliable and fully integrated Building Security Solution with Doorware installing XS4 electronic locks to airside and landside doors in the new terminal extension and main goods lift. These are supplemented by wall mounted card readers and control units that serve as smart card update and validation points.

The XS4 system needs no hard wiring and provides a totally wire free networked electronic locking solution with a superb range of airport tailored features. It is designed around state-of-the-art electronics that use distributed intelligence to pass information between microprocessors in the escutcheon and the smart Mifare key card.

It supports up to 64,000 users and is designed for use in stand-alone operations. A bonus when it comes to expanding the system into older parts of a building is that it can be easily added to almost any existing lock and door, turning them into fully featured access control doors that can integrate with the rest of the site without compromising security, convenience or control.

It also permits users to benefit from the many advantages of the SALTO Virtual Network (SVN), enabling locks and operating cards to be rapidly updated, restricted or deleted remotely adding real value to the access management of a building.

Kieran Gorey of Doorware comments: "Safety and security is seen by Ireland West Airport Knock as a top priority. As a sign of this commitment they wanted an access control system that employed the latest hardware and software technology yet was capable of handling any future expansion requirements at the airport. With SALTO XS4 they have got just that, a networked locking system with unlimited possibilities."