Abu Dhabi airport’s biometric face scanning « Euro Weekly Information – CSN

Travellers would possibly quickly expertise a major shift in air journey, as Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Worldwide Airport is about to introduce a groundbreaking “Sensible Journey” system by 2025.

This progressive challenge goals to get rid of the necessity for bodily boarding passes and different journey paperwork by integrating superior biometric authentication applied sciences in any respect safety checkpoints.

Seamless journey with AI-powered biometric techniques

The bold initiative leverages synthetic intelligence (AI) and facial recognition expertise to streamline the airport expertise. In collaboration with Subsequent 50, an organization specialising in AI-driven transportation options, the challenge will likely be applied in three phases, steadily integrating biometric authentication throughout all safety and operational touchpoints on the airport.

By 2025, travellers at Zayed Worldwide Airport will have the ability to confirm their identification utilizing solely their faces. That is because of a complete database maintained by the United Arab Emirates’ Federal Authority for Id, Citizenship, Customs and Port Safety.

Etihad Airways, one of many UAE’s flagship carriers, has already applied this cutting-edge expertise. Passengers flying with Etihad can use facial recognition to examine in, ship their baggage, and board their flights – all while not having to current a boarding move. The expertise can also be being rolled out throughout 5 different airways, making all the check-in and boarding course of extra environment friendly.

This new system is anticipated to scale back the time required for doc verification from the same old 25 seconds to simply seven seconds.

How facial recognition can improve airport safety and effectivity

The “Sensible Journey” challenge just isn’t solely about comfort but additionally about bolstering safety and operational effectivity.

The airport’s official assertion highlights the system’s potential to reinforce airline efficiency by minimising the necessity for expensive infrastructure expansions and combating fraud and forgery in identification paperwork.

Biometric makes use of throughout the EU

Whereas Abu Dhabi leads the way in which on this transformative journey expertise, comparable biometric applied sciences are additionally being examined and applied throughout Europe.

Italy, as an example, started trials in Might 2023 with a software program referred to as FaceBoarding, which makes use of facial recognition at Milano Linate and Catania airports.

Travellers can scan their paperwork and faces at airport kiosks, permitting them to make use of the system at subsequent checkpoints, thereby dashing up safety and boarding processes.

SEA, the corporate managing the FaceBoarding system in Italy, ensures that individuals’ information is processed solely for the challenge’s function, with facial pictures getting used solely to create a biometric template for safety checks.

The system has already attracted the eye of airways like ITA Airways and Scandinavian Airways (SAS), which have built-in it into their operations.

The EU’s Entry/Exit System

Moreover, the European Union is about to launch its Entry/Exit System (EES) on November 10, 2024. This automated registration system will document the biometrics and entry/exit information of travellers from the UK and non-EU nations, retaining the data for as much as three years.

The EES is designed to streamline border crossings for travellers with out long-stay visas, additional enhancing safety and effectivity at EU borders.

What this implies for frequent flyers

For frequent worldwide travellers, these developments characterize a major shift in the direction of extra seamless and safe journey experiences.

As biometric applied sciences proceed to evolve and change into extra broadly adopted, the way forward for air journey guarantees to be quicker, safer, and extra environment friendly – doubtlessly making the hassles of misplaced boarding passes and prolonged safety checks a factor of the previous.

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