The aviation industry is ramping up technology efforts to create a touchless passenger experience to aid industry recovery and lure back passengers, who increasingly prefer digital interaction to face-to-face contact in the aftermath of COVID-19.

“The pandemic is changing passenger needs, expectations and behaviors,” said Ersin Nankul, Chief Digital and Commercial Officer at IGA Istanbul airport, a member of a panel addressing “How will automation, enabled by biometrics and contactless technologies become more important than ever in this COVID-19 era?” at the World Aviation Festival [1].

Akira Mitsumasu, Vice President, Global Marketing, Japan Airlines added, “We need biometric solutions now more than ever to minimize the hassle from additional restrictions as passengers face additional layers of health and safety controls.”

Biometrics enhances security, speed and ease of travel

The future of aviation is biometrics as airlines and airports seek to minimize person-to-person contact, restore confidence and improve traveler experiences.

Biometric technology clearly has a major role to play in creating a safe, seamless gate-to-curb passenger journey using contactless technologies. The use of facial recognition can enhance security, speed, and ease of travel, streamlining the airport journey and allowing travelers’ identities to be swiftly and accurately verified.

For example, as part of Veridos’ ePassport and automated border control project in Bangladesh, in 2020, 15 eGates were installed, allowing passengers to be verified within just 14 seconds.

Airports turn to biometrics

Moving forward, airports are set to increase their investment in next-generation technologies and accelerate digital transformation to improve the level of service and security they can offer to passengers. This means they will increasingly turn to partners, like Veridos, to provide integrated identity solutions.

Veridos provides a range of border control solutions for its airport partners. Take Bangladesh’s International Airport, which opened its first eGates in mid-2021. Veridos provides the eGates, as well as the whole value chain for tamper-proof ePassports, thereby reducing the time taken to check passengers while guaranteeing the utmost security during the verification of travel documents.

In addition, Veridos is coordinating the D4FLY project, which involves 18 other partners. The EU-funded research project is working on solutions such as the creation of a biometric corridor, which is fully compliant with EU data protection and privacy regulations. Advanced biometric technologies like iris, 3D face, somatotype or thermal-to-visible face recognition are being explored for on-the-move traveler verification purposes. Travelers could therefore in the future simply pass through the corridor, without having to stop at a passport security booth or eGates.

Secure travel has always been challenging. COVID-19 has introduced further challenges, prompting the travel industry to reconsider the best and safest solutions for its passengers. That’s why efficient, advanced biometric technology needs to be employed to minimize hassles and maximize health, safety and security as we enter a new era of travel.

Do you want to know how Veridos’ solutions can best suit your needs?

Contact us to learn more.

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[1] World Aviation Festival