ISJ Exclusive: Vienna Airport relies on MCS

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EVVA’s technologically advanced access control system has boosted security at a major European airport.

Vienna Airport in Austria is one of the most important hubs for travellers in Central and Eastern Europe.

In the crisis year of 2021, around 10.4 million passengers were handled in the three terminals. This corresponds to a significant reduction of 67% compared to the pre-coronavirus year of 2019.

The expectations for 2022 were correspondingly high thanks to the return of travel and the lowering of restrictions across much of Europe, with 17 million passengers expected to travel.

The parallel world of an airport

With over 20,000 employees in around 250 companies at the site, Vienna Airport is one of the largest employers in the region and forms its own city with handling and arrival halls, check-ins and shops as well as restaurants and waiting areas.

However, this is only the visible world. In the hidden parallel world, the real heart beats with luggage transport, technical rooms, changing rooms, storage rooms and much, much more.

Stefan Kovacs, Division Manager of Planning, Construction and Inventory Management, Vienna Airport explained: “Thanks to the many projects and conversion work at Vienna Airport, there are numerous challenges for our access control system.

“In addition, there is a high demand for flexible management and easy handling with the highest security requirements at the same time.”

Tailor-made rights assignment

These requirements, which result from the company organisation, can be met with the MCS Access Control System. Employees will select the ones they have access to according to their individual settings.

Kovacs emphasised: “Of course, seamless documentation is also important here. 20,000 people work here at the site with a wide range of tasks. They must be able to accommodate an access control system. And that makes the MCS access control system very good.”

Hans Jürgen Werdenich, Key Management Vienna Airport, added: “I am very satisfied with the possibilities and the quality. The MCS access control system offers a high level of convenience and a competent distribution partner with an excellent sales manager makes this high quality of cooperation possible in the first place.”

Safety is essential

Security is a key element in operations such as airports. And this is where the MCS access control system comes into its own. Stefan Kovacs added: “We are also obliged to comply with the safety limits. This must therefore be well organised.”

Constant growth to be able to cope with the future

The MCS system takes account of these regular renovations and extensions to the airport. Hans Jürgen Werdenich continued: “We still have a lot of resources in the MCS access control system that can be expanded and which we also require.”

Expansion options that are almost endless. Unrivalled security and maximum convenience in administration. This is EVVA’s MCS system.

A complete solution from a single source

As early as 2002, EVVA equipped all buildings at the airport with the MCS (Magnetic Code System) access control system. This offers a high level of complexity in the access systems.

For Terminal 3, particular attention was paid to the combination with the existing key management system of Flughafen AG.

“The great advantage of the MCS key’s magnet technology is its high level of key copying protection,” emphasised Roman Kietaibl, Area Manager at EVVA. The innovative MCS cylinder technologies also offer lasting protection against illegal opening methods: This is an essential requirement for such a complex system as an airport.”

4,000 cylinders including matching keys for Terminal 3

Kietaibl recalled the course of the project and added: “The biggest challenge when equipping Terminal 3 was planning the submaster keys as until recently the room allocations were optimised.” Around 4,000 cylinders were installed and approximately the same number of corresponding keys were produced. The complex access hierarchies required for an airport could be realised thanks to the almost infinite variety of MCS.

For more information, visit: www.evva.com

This article was originally published in the October edition of International Security Journal. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.

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