This Dutch startup raises €550K to help aviation sector to manage the surge in travellers after lockdown; here’s how

With the Covid-19 pandemic, contactless travel has become the new normal. In this regard, Utrecht-based aviation security company GRASP Innovations has developed a radar-based solution to automate airport security processes. The company claims it will increase the capacity and shorten waiting times at airports.

GRASP raises funds

In a recent development, the Dutch startup has raised €550K from Mainport Innovation Fund II in order to further develop and roll out its product globally. Mainport Innovation Fund II is an initiative of Royal Schiphol Group, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Delft University of Technology, the Dutch Railways (NS) and the Port of Amsterdam, in collaboration with fund manager NBI Investors.

The fund focuses on accelerating innovations in logistics, aviation, and transport. It also supports entrepreneurs by combining VC with strategic expertise and the network of transport partners.

Speaking on the development, Thijs Gitmans, fund manager MIF II, says, “In challenging times, GRASP has proven that its solution creates added value for aviation. We see opportunities for airports, such as our partner Schiphol, to use automation to improve processes such as security without losing quality and with even better queue times.”

Automating aviation security

The pandemic has reduced air travel since March 2020. However, GRASP believes that the air traffic would return to pre-crisis levels between 2023 and 2025, and the challenge for aviation will be to cope with the growth, once the lockdown is over. 

Currently, the pandemic has accelerated the need in aviation for contactless travel, shortened queue times, and customer-friendly security processes. However, this must be realised while maintaining the high safety and service levels of the travellers. And this is where GRASP believes it can help the aviation industry achieve that.

According to GRASP, aviation security is a traditional workforce driven business that requires automation in order to be sustainable in the future. The company’s solution helps airports to accelerate the transition to fully autonomous processes. It offers an advanced radar system in combination with proprietary developed software that is accurate and GDPR compliant.

The software automates repetitive tasks currently performed by security personnel, such as the manual surveillance at access controls. In addition, the solution also provides actionable insight into the performance of passenger security checks which results in potential staff planning improvement and an increase in security capacity – and in the process, helps lead to shorter queue times for passengers.

Currently focused on aviation, GRASP also caters to other industry customers that deal with security operations, such as banks or other high-value environments.