Durham Tees Valley airport, Robin Hood airport and Liverpool John Lennon airport are part of the airports division of Peel Holdings, one of the UK's leading property and transport companies. Currently undergoing a GBP 56 million expansion and development programme, the Durham Tees Valley airport has invested in improving airport facilities to reinforce its position as one of the fastest growing regional airports in the UK.

As part of this significant investment, officials at Durham Tees Valley airport turned to the same CEM AC2000 AE security management system that has been successfully installed at Robin Hood airport since 2005 to enhance security and operations for the benefit of passengers, staff and airlines.

"The CEM solution was the ideal choice for Durham Tees Valley as it has successfully been in operation at Robin Hood airport for several years and has a proven record as one of the most reliable and resilient airport solutions available," comments Alan Inkster, managing director, Advanced Integrated Systems "The airside and landside doors will be secured using IP-enabled CEM EtherProx card readers which seamlessly fit into the existing cabling and IT infrastructure at the airport," Inkster continues.

The CEM EtherProx card readers are ideal for the airport environment as they connect directly over Ethernet and offer high-end reader functionality such as LCD display, keypad, and internal database for unique offline card validation at the door at all times - ensuring the highest level of system stability. The EtherProx readers also feature airport-specific 'door modes' such as passenger and lobby mode to control passenger throughput and enhance airport operations.

"A key factor in the Durham Tees Valley project was the fact that the airport will be fully integrated to Robin Hood airport with staff able to gain access to both airports using one ID security pass," comments Andrew Fulton, business development director of Tyco International's CEM products "In addition to both airports being integrated, AC2000 AE will also allow Durham Tees Valley officials to conduct advanced reporting on ID cards for invoicing and generating revenue," adds Fulton.

The CEM AC2000 visual imaging & pass production system (VIPPS) will be used to design and print the ID passes for the staff and airlines at Durham Tees Valley. Seamlessly integrating with the AC2000 AE system, VIPPS extracts airport-specific data such as "IATA code" and "holder's information" and allows security personnel to capture images and signatures to print professional staff ID passes.

With the CEM AC2000 AE security management system installed, Durham Tees Valley airport has invested in a highly resilient airport solution that is used by over 80 percent of UK airports. The system will secure its facility and can easily expand as the airport continues to grow.