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Sydney Airport trials facial scanning technology

Passports have long been a travel essential. But passengers at Sydney Airport will soon be able to take off simply by having their faces scanned.

Passports have long been a travel essential. But passengers at Sydney Airport will soon be able to take off simply by having their faces scanned.

A trial of biometric processing will begin in May at the airport, chief executive Geoff Culbert revealed.

Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert Image credit: The Australian

Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert
Image credit: The Australian

“Your face will be your passport and boarding pass,” he told media on Thursday, as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Culbert believes biometric processing can revolutionise the airport experience for travellers and is confident Sydney is spearheading the innovation.

“We are not aware of this being done to this extent anywhere else in the world,” he said.

“There will be no more fumbling for passports.”

Already, the airport has trimmed the amount of time people spend passing through Customs from four minutes to 23 seconds, according to Culbert.

The trial will be extended to Qantas passengers by the end of the year, allowing them to proceed to the plane after having only shown their passport once.

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It will then be extended to other airlines if it is considered a success.

“It will make the travel process so much easier for customers,” Culbert said.

“You can check in for your flight at home on the couch using facial-recognition technology using your smartphone.”

He promised that the airport would ensure that “relevant privacy issues are managed”.

In July 2017, Australia’s immigration department struck a deal for upgraded biometric scanning equipment to be installed across Australian airports by mid-2019. The aim is for 90% of “eligible” travellers to “self-process” their own border security checks by then.

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