Biometric sensors are being widely utilized at international airports to alleviate the pressure from massive passenger traffic, significantly reducing check-in times.
Abu Dhabi International Airport is renowned for its high-tech infrastructure and is currently undertaking the Smart Travel project, which aims to install biometric sensors at every identification checkpoint, from check-in counters to immigration booths, duty-free shops, airport lounges, and boarding gates. Biometric technology uses human biological characteristics for identification and identity verification. Through these sensors, at any location where documentation is required, passengers’ flight details and identities can be confirmed via facial recognition or iris scanning, according to CNN.
Abu Dhabi International Airport will be the first airport in the world to operate without paperwork by 2025. (Photo: Pius Koller/imageBROKER)
In Abu Dhabi, this technology has already been deployed in several areas of the airport, particularly for flights operated by the partner airline, Etihad. However, the goal is to expand across all passenger traffic. “We are expanding to 9 sensor points”, said Andrew Murphy, the Chief Information Officer at Abu Dhabi Airport. “The system is designed to require no prior registration; passengers are automatically identified and verified as they move through the airport, significantly accelerating the entire process.”
Murphy explained that anyone arriving in the United Arab Emirates for the first time, whether residents or passengers, has their biometric characteristics collected by the Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Federal Port Security Authority (ICP) upon immigration. The airport’s system uses this database to verify passengers through the checkpoints.
Murphy shared that the aim is to relieve the pressure from passenger traffic, making transit much quicker. So far, initial results have proven effective. “People report that it takes less than 15 minutes to go from outside the street into the retail area or to the boarding gate. Given that this is a massive facility handling up to 45 million passengers, moving through such a large airport in just a few minutes is truly groundbreaking,” Murphy said.
In October 2023, a survey by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed that 75% of passengers preferred to use biometric data over passports and boarding passes. The remaining 25% may feel uncomfortable with new technology or prefer human interaction. According to Murphy, traditional passenger verification processes remain an option.
International policymakers also support granting passengers the choice of using facial recognition or not, especially for those unfamiliar with airport transit. For passengers traveling with small children, presenting documentation to airport staff remains mandatory, as age requirements can vary from one airport to another. Murphy noted that their airport applies the biometric system to individuals aged 12 and older, as younger children’s facial features change quite rapidly.
Other airports around the world are also relying less on paperwork and more on biometrics. In a report released in October 2023 by IATA, 46% of respondents indicated they had previously used this technology at airports. However, no airport has yet been officially recognized as a passport-free airport. Changi Airport in Singapore is among the pioneers in adopting this technology. Similar to Abu Dhabi, they collaborate with the government immigration authority to develop a biometric system accessible to both residents and passengers. The system will be gradually implemented, starting this month.
Hong Kong International Airport, Narita (Tokyo), Haneda (Tokyo), and Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi have also introduced biometric verification points for transit. European airports have also made significant strides. Last year, IATA collaborated with British Airways to test the first fully digital identity international flight. Departing from Heathrow and landing at Rome Fiumicino, trial passengers only needed to fly with a digital identity known as W3C Verifiable Credential. Their passports, visas, and electronic tickets were stored in a digital wallet, all verified by biometric identification. In the U.S., Customs and Border Protection has implemented biometrics in the arrival areas of a total of 96 international airports, with 53 of those airports applying the technology in both departure areas.
