Paragon ID said that it will support Air France’s transition towards RFID bag tag technology for the next three years

Image: Paragon ID wins contract from Air France to supply RFID bag tags. Photo: Courtesy of Paragon Group Limited.

Paragon ID, a French company that provides identification solutions for transport, e-ID, traceability, brand protection and payment, has signed a three-year contract with Air France to supply RFID luggage tags.

The airline industry is expected to carry more than 7.8 billion passengers per year, and over the next few years, the amount of baggage transported annually is also expected to increase twofold from the current 4.6 billion.

Under a resolution of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which decided to support the deployment of radio frequency identification (RFID) for baggage tracking, passengers’ baggage must be tracked in real-time across key points in the journey.

Consequently, airlines have decided to replace their baggage tags with new ones integrating RFID technology over the coming years.

Air France, one of the first airlines to expand the use of RFID technology across its baggage operations, intends to respond to customers’ need for information about their luggage and offer them new services, and improve the identification rate and baggage tracking to reduce operating costs.

Air France has selected Paragon ID for the global supply of RFID luggage tags

The airline has selected the French company for the supply of RFID luggage tags worldwide for an initial period of three years.

The company’s expertise in RFID tags, technological know-how in the design of inlays (embedded chip and antenna) and its expertise in the industrial processes for label manufacture at its site in Argent-sur-Sauldre, helped it in meeting Air France’s quality and safety requirements.

The company has collaborated with NXP Semiconductors to design the antenna around the UCODE 8 chip to ensure optimal performance.

The label features special incisions, ensuring its destruction after use or in case of attempted fraud.

The company expects to provide 40 million RFID luggage tags a year to Air France. The company is also examining the possibility of supplying RFID labels to Air France’s affiliated airlines within the Air-France KLM group or the Skyteam alliance.

Paragon ID CEO Clem Garvey said: “We are very proud to have been awarded this tender by Air France, one of the world’s leading airlines. Paragon ID has demonstrated its capacity to address the sector’s specific challenges and requirements.”