GATWICK Airport passengers will soon be able to travel through the airport without having their passport checks due to new facial recognition software.
The new technology will also reduce queues at security and speed up the process.
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According to the Telegraph, the airport has conducted several trials of the new technology in collaboration with easyJet.
The technology works by comparing the passenger’s face to their passport as well as the name on their boarding pass, eliminating the need for human checks.
It will also speed up the process of checking in.
Gatwick Airport confirmed that over 90 per cent of the 20,000 passengers who tested the technology said it was both easy and faster to board the plane.
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It also reduced the queuing time for passengers.
The airport will roll out the facial recognition software to another eight departure gates by 2022.
Heathrow Airport previously announced they would be introducing new facial recognition technology as well.
The airport, which has invested £50 million in the new software, claimed it would be used at “check-in, bag drops, security lanes and boarding gates” which could reduce the average travel time through the airport by a third.
However, the airport urged passengers to still bring their passport as they will need it at the other end of their flight.
Amsterdam has already trialled facial recognition at Schiphol Airport, as well as Singapore Airport.
While the new technology hopes to speed up travel times, it can also cause delays.
Passengers who are hungover or have beards have been found to cause the most delays at ePassport gates as they are not recognised by the technology.
