Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1047665
EMIRATES is gearing up to launch the world's first "biom- etric path" which will offer its customers a smooth and truly seamless airport journey at the airline's hub in Dubai Interna- tional airport. Utilising the latest biomet- ric technology – a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can soon check in for their flight, complete im- migration formalities, enter the Emirates Lounge, and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport. The latest biometric equip- ment has already been installed at Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International airport. This equipment can be found at se- lect check-in counters, at the Emirates Lounge in Concourse B for premium passengers, and at select boarding gates. Areas where biometric equipment are installed will be clearly marked. Trials for the Smart Tunnel, a project by the General Directo- rate of Residence and Foreign- ers Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) in collaboration with Emirates, was launched on 10 October. It is a world-first for passport con- trol, where passengers simply walk through a tunnel and are "cleared" by immigration au- thorities without human inter- vention or the need for a physical passport stamp. Once its internal tests are com- pleted, Emirates will shortly launch trials for biometric pro- cessing at the other key customer points at the airport – check-in, lounge, and boarding gate – and subsequently at transit counters/ gates, and for its chauffeur drive services. All biometric data will be stored with GDRFA, and cus- tomers invited to participate in the trials will be asked for their consent. Adel Al Redha, Emirates' Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer said: "Guided by our chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates continuously innovates and strives to improve our day-to- day business. After extensive research and evaluation of nu- merous technologies and new approaches to enhance our passenger journey, we are now satisfied with the preliminary work we have carried out and are ready to commence live tri- als of the world's first biometric path at Emirates Terminal 3. Emirates' "biometric path" will improve customer ex- perience and customer flow through the airport with less document checks and less queuing. Eventually, the "live" passenger tracking capability will also improve security and the airline's ability to deliver even better and more person- alised services. For instance, enabling the Emirates airport team to locate and assist 'late' customers who would other- wise miss their flights. The airline's "biometric path" will cover departures, arrivals, transit, chauffeur drive con- nections, and lounge access in Dubai. Initially focussed on First and Business class travel- lers, Emirates intends to speed- ily extend the "biometric path" to Economy class travellers in Dubai, and in the future poten- tially to other airports outside Dubai, and also for its own ded- icated crew check in facility. 18 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 NOVEMBER 2018 COMMERCIAL SIMONDS Farsons Cisk and PepsiCo marked 40 years of part- nership during a visit to Malta by a high-level PepsiCo delega- tion. Silviu Popovici – President of Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Christophe Guille – VP/GM Central Europe and Greater Balkans and Liora Abrahams – Franchise Manager, Small Bal- kans, Malta & Gaza, were hosted by the Chairman of the Farsons Group, Louis A. Farrugia and the Group Chief Executive, Norman Aquilina. Farrugia said of this historic milestone, "We are extremely proud to be celebrating this re- markable 40-year partnership with one of the world's largest corporations in the global food and beverage industry and to continue to be part of PepsiCo's exciting and outstanding jour- ney." Popovici commented, "We are very happy to celebrate together an incredible 40 years of part- nership between PepsiCo and Farsons. Our relationship has de- veloped a lot over these years, but we firmly believe our best years are still well ahead of us." Pepsi-Cola started its life in the late 1890s as 'Brad's Drink', the brainchild of pharmacist Caleb Braham. The Company grew fast and expanded to international markets. PepsiCo Inc. was es- tablished through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay in 1965. The booming post-war period witnessed a general worldwide expansion, partly thanks to a global US industrial and military presence, which also reached Malta. Pepsi-Cola was launched locally in September 1951. Over 20 years later, in April 1978, the acquisition of the Pepsi- Cola franchise by Simonds Far- sons Cisk was announced with talks, which had been going on for some months, crowned by a formal agreement signed be- tween the two companies. The relationship between Far- sons and PepsiCo continued to flourish throughout the years with further growth also result- ing from developments in the international market. In 2002, Farsons secured the franchise for the bottling of 7UP. Through its food importation division, Quin- tano Foods, the Farsons Group imports several global brands from the PepsiCo portfolio, in- cluding Tropicana, Quaker Oats, Doritos and Walkers. Addition- ally, Farsons Beverage Imports Company, another member of the Farsons Group, imports Gatorade and Lipton Ice Tea. Over the years Simonds Far- sons Cisk has been officially rec- ognised and awarded for the con- sistent attention to quality which is reflected in the final top-notch quality of the Pepsi-Cola prod- ucts on the market. The PepsiCo portfolio of food and beverages is available all over Malta and Gozo. Simonds Farsons Cisk and PepsiCo celebrate 40 years of partnership BNF Bank campaigns for preventive action against breast cancer JOINING the country-wide fray of organisations generat- ing awareness on breast can- cer in October, BNF Bank launched a 'Take Action To- day' campaign for preventive action. The Bank pushed mes- sages among its team and in public that promoted taking deterrents and risk reducing measures which can decrease the peril of disease. Perhaps the most significant action the Bank took is that of offering free mammograms to all its female employees in the risk age group. "Overcom- ing dread and fear is one of the challenges women need to take head on in order to get tested," said Alison Grech, Senior Coodinator of Human Resources at BNF Bank. "Tak- ing this cue, the Bank offered free mammography exams to those team members who will directly benefit from getting tested, hoping this will urge them to check their health on a regular basis. Early detection is key to successfully battling the disease, increasing the survival rate to 98 per cent." BNF Bank engaged in a month of action using its own communications chan- nels and retail network to re- mind people of the dangers of breast disease and elicit action. The Bank teamed up with Europa Donna Malta to involve employees in a number of activities, including wear- ing pink ribbon pins, attend- ing an informative lecture on breast cancer survival with perspectives from health care professions and patients, and donating to the organisation via the monthly Casual Friday activity. Team members also enjoyed organic green tea in pocket-flyers, as a reminder to eat and drink well, and stay healthy. Sharon Cassar Laudi from Europa Donna Malta, the local breast cancer support group, thanked BNF team members for the donation and for their participation, saying it was heartening to see an increas- ing number of tangible actions that go beyond wearing pink. "Every year, Pink October ac- tivities in Malta become more inventive and action-targeting. We hope the awareness gener- ated this month will translate into action throughout the year." Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Malta with around 350 new cases every year. Emirates' unveils world's first integrated 'biometric path'