The Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA) has partnered with National Aviation Services (NAS) to bring innovation to Marrakech Airport with electronic gates (E-gates) at the Pearl Lounge.
These are the first of its kind in Africa and offer quicker lounge access to passengers in the Marrakech Menara Airport departures area.
With this new state-of-the-art, self-service check in, guests visiting the Pearl Lounge can access the lounge faster without checking in at the reception desk or waiting in a queue. The passengers simply scans their printed or online boarding pass at the gate and enter the lounge.
The E-gate effectively captures all the boarding pass data, checks eligibility, enters the transaction into a database for billing and reporting, and opens the gate for eligible passengers – all in less than two seconds. The E-gate also supports lounge membership cards and vouchers.
The same technology will soon be adopted at other Pearl Lounges in Morocco as well as across other lounges in the NAS network.
NAS has been exclusively managing the refurbishment and operations of 16 lounges across nine airports in Morocco, following a ten-year concession awarded by the Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA).
NAS Group chief executive officer, Hassan El-Houry said: “As the exclusive lounge operator for the Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA) in Morocco, NAS is responsible for bringing world class facilities and services to the local airports.
“Since kicking off operations in the country, we have invested in infrastructure, resources and training; provided operational expertise, state of the art technology solutions and industry benchmarked services, to launch and manage refurbished lounges across the country.
“The newly introduced E-gates will help enhance our offerings in the country and amplify our efforts to ensure that Moroccan airports supersede recognized international airports around the world.”
NAS is present in 17 countries across the Middle East, Asia and Africa; providing ground handling services to seven out of the world’s top 10 airlines and managing 31 airport lounges.
With an expanded portfolio of aviation services and certified by IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO), NAS also has demonstrated expertise in supporting local hub carriers in the Middle East and Africa.
