Japan’s Airports Run Face Verification Trials for Passenger Onboarding

Tokyo’s Narita airport is running trials for a face recognition system for international travellers. With this face verification system, the travellers will not have to show passports or even the tickets of the flights after they have checked in. 

The travelling industry of Japan is adopting the face verification system to speed up the passenger onboarding process and provide a contactless experience for the passengers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This process will minimize the onboarding time and reduce the airport staff’s involvement in onboarding the passenger. 

After the trial at Narita airport, the face recognition system is scheduled to be adopted in July by Haneda Airport, another international airport in Tokyo. The passengers using the face verification system will be required to get their photo taken at the check-in when they register their onboarding passes along with their passports. 

The biometric ID and face verification system will assist the airport to ensure simplified travelling for the passengers. The passengers will no longer be required to take out their passport and onboarding pass at the security checkpoints, luggage drop, boarding gates etc. The camera installed will ensure seamless travel by recognizing the passenger through face recognition technology. 

This process will also minimize the physical contact between travellers, airport staff and machines, and reduce the spread of coronavirus during the pandemic. The passenger will no longer have to stand in ques to complete their onboarding procedure. In order to protect privacy, the data of the passengers including their photos will be deleted after 24 hours of the registration. 

Narita Airport’s face verification will gradually be adopted by the All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co., expanding the technology to the airlines. The flights travelling the international routes at the Haneda airport will be using the new face recognition system.