New Delhi: The Department of Civil Aviation is planning to install facial recognition equipment at six airports including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Pune, Kolkata and Varanasi to introduce biometric boarding system (BBS) on an experimental basis.
After a successful implementation of facial recognition technology in the airports on a pilot basis, BBS will be introduced in all airports across the country in a phased manner. Rs 25,000 crore will be spent on technological upgradation of existing as well as the proposed new airports in the coming five years.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, queues at airports have become longer, lasting in some cases up to six hours, as border control and aviation authorities need to check travellers’ documents manually.
To fix the problem of long queues at airports due to stricter checks in the changed scenario due to Covid-19 pandemic, carriers and airports around the world are implementing biometric checks that will enable passengers to move through the airport without having their passports or plane tickets checked.
In October 2020, UAE’s Emirates introduced an integrated biometric pathway at Dubai International Airport for travellers to pass through the airport without showing any documents.
The technology uses facial and iris recognition to allow passengers to check in, complete immigration forms and board in a contactless way, as well as reducing queueing times and supporting health and security measures.
In March 2021, facial recognition technology Face Express was launched in Japan. It’s a boarding procedure for international departure flights that uses facial recognition technology, allowing passengers to go through the airport without showing their documents.
Experimented at the Japanese airports of Narita and Tokyo Haneda, Face Express is being implemented on Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines flights from July, with plans to extend it to other companies.
Passengers will need to scan their passports and register their boarding passes at a Face Express machine. The machine will scan facial data, actively turning each traveller’s face into their passport and boarding pass.
The technology has raised concerns regarding data privacy but the airports have said that images obtained through Face Express and all information that can identify a traveller will be deleted within 24 hours.
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