HM Passport Office has confirmed that an enhanced facial recognition system is being rolled out at e-gates across 13 UK airports, allowing British passport holders to pass through without presenting their passports. The contactless technology will capture the returning passenger's face at the e-gates and cross-reference it with the passport photograph already stored on file, according to the Home Office.
How the new contactless e-gates work
The upgraded technology, introduced at the e-gates of 13 UK airports, is designed to speed up security checks and dramatically cut queues by up to 25 per cent, according to the Home Office. British passport holders will no longer need to rummage around for their document or face lengthy border control queues, providing a smoother journey home.
Phil Douglas, director general of Border Force, said: "This is a win for travellers coming to our brilliant country. By using state-of-the-art technology, we are making journeys smoother and faster, all while fully maintaining the UK’s robust border security."
Digital transformation and family benefits
Douglas added: "Our digital transformation also builds on our work this summer to extend eGates to children aged eight and above, making life a little easier for families." The system works by checking arriving passengers against a gallery of expected travellers, rather than against the entire passport database.
Douglas explained: "Because we know who's coming and can load up that gallery of who is arriving, it's not a one in 60 million check, it's a one in tens of thousands check [because the system only needs to check against the passports of passengers travelling on that particular day]."
First airport to introduce contactless e-gates
Steve Griffiths, managing director of East Midlands Airport, said: "We’re delighted to be the first UK airport to have contactless eGates introduced by Border Force." He added: "As an airport committed to providing an effortless travel experience, we welcome any technological innovation that can help to safely make our customers’ journeys smoother, swifter and simpler."
Griffiths also noted that the new system "complements changes that we carried out to our immigration hall recently to help improve the flow of arriving passengers through the area."
Full list of 13 UK airports impacted
The 13 UK airports where the new contactless e-gates are being introduced are: Birmingham Airport, Bristol Airport, Cardiff Airport, East Midlands Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport, London City Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Heathrow Airport, London Luton Airport, London Stansted Airport, Manchester Airport, and Newcastle International Airport.
