La Réunion Roland Garros Airport selects IN Groupe to modernise its automated external border control

With the deployment of ten new-generation PARAFE gates in its new terminal, the airport is taking a decisive step forward in modernising its border controls and improving the passenger experience.

A dynamic airport facing growing security challenges

With 2.8 million passengers handled in 2025, La Réunion Roland Garros Airport has confirmed its position as France’s leading overseas airport in terms of passenger volume. This record performance – up 4% on 2024 – illustrates the rise of an aviation hub situated at the heart of the Indian Ocean, at the crossroads of routes to mainland France, neighbouring islands (Mauritius, Madagascar, Mayotte) and destinations in Africa and Asia.

The Saint-Denis–Bangkok route, in particular, recorded a rise in passenger numbers of over 45% in 2025, reflecting the island’s growing appeal and the increase in international passenger flows. Against this backdrop, managing passenger flows at external borders has become a major strategic challenge, both in terms of security and the passenger experience.

To address this, the airport has launched a modernisation programme for its new terminal, designed with bioclimatic architecture, and has chosen IN Groupe to equip its border control points with a state-of-the-art solution.

The PARAFE gate: what is it and how does it work?

PARAFE stands for Passage Rapide Aux Frontières Extérieures (Fast-Track External Border Crossing). It refers to an automated border control system enabling eligible travellers to pass through checkpoints smoothly, quickly and securely, without the need for an officer’s intervention.

What the PARAFE gate enables

• Automated biometric verification of the traveller (facial recognition)
• Reading and authentication of electronic travel documents (passport, residence permit)
• Verification of single-entry status to prevent document fraud
• Smoother passenger flows on departure and arrival
• Full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Significant reduction in waiting times at border control points

The airport has chosen to install two sets of five gates each, making a total of ten gates, to handle passenger flows at both departure and arrival in its new terminal. This deployment makes Roland Garros the ninth user of IN Groupe’s PARAFE gates in France, contributing to a national fleet that now exceeds 120 gates deployed across the country.

A new generation of security gates, designed and integrated in France

This contract marks the first operational deployment of the new generation of PARAFE security gates launched by IN Groupe in 2025. This major development delivers enhanced security and even faster identity checks, meeting the most stringent standards for external border control.

IN Groupe is responsible for the overall integration of the project, deploying its proprietary biometric data capture and uniqueness management solutions, developed in-house at its sites in Vélizy and Paris. This control over the entire value chain, from design and integration through to on-site deployment, is one of IN Groupe’s distinctive strengths in this field.

The deployment of IN Groupe’s PARAFE gates in our new terminal represents a major step forward for our passengers’ experience and for the security of our borders. With passenger traffic increasing every year, it was imperative that we equip ourselves with a solution that is reliable, fast and compliant with the strictest regulatory requirements.

Thomas Dubus – Chairman of the Executive Board, La Réunion Roland Garros Airport

A deployment in line with the national PFSF strategy

This deployment is part of the Secure and Fluid Borders Programme (PFSF), led by the Directorate-General for Foreigners in France (DGEF) of the Ministry of the Interior. This programme aims to modernise and harmonise border control systems at France’s external borders, including in its overseas territories.

By choosing IN Groupe, the DGEF is reaffirming its confidence in the expertise and delivery capabilities of a leading French provider, capable of managing the entire lifecycle of a critical project: design, integration, deployment and maintenance.

Note: Demand for automated border control is set to grow significantly, driven by the widespread use of digital identity and the development of pre-travel declaration processes. IN Groupe is positioning itself as the leading partner in this transformation, both in France and internationally.

IN Groupe, a strategic partner for French sovereignty

As France’s leading player in secure identity, IN Groupe has been supporting governments and public sector operators for several decades in the design and deployment of sovereign solutions: passports, identity cards, residence permits, driving licences, biometric systems and border control systems.

The deployment at La Réunion Roland Garros Airport illustrates IN Groupe’s unique ability to operate across the entire national territory, including its overseas territories, with solutions designed and integrated in France, in compliance with the strictest digital sovereignty requirements.

With over 120 PARAFE gates deployed in French airports and a new generation of technology now operational, IN Groupe confirms its role as a key player in automated border control at France’s external borders.

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