British Airways(BA) Introduced Biometric Gates at Heathrow Airport

The biometric gates at Heathrow allows passenger to walk directly onto aircraft after a facial scan

London: British Airways, the largest airline in United Kingdom, recently introduced technology to go through the boarding gates at Heathrow using facial recognition. The system will be used for domestic routes and specifically aims to speed up boarding process and reduce errors.

British Airways will be one of the first airlines to replace its boarding gate staff with automated biometric technology in a bid to speed up the boarding process using facial recognition system at Heathrow airport in London. The system will capture passenger’s face via camera at the security check and will authenticate by second set of cameras when the passenger arrives at the boarding gates.

BA has mobilized three biometric gates at Heathrow’s terminal 5 and will equip 36 gates equipped with the same technology by the end of this summer. The facial recognition system will initially serve to domestic passenger and after successful trial, it will further expand to international flights. 

TechSci Research depicts that adaptation of biometric at Airports will pave way for biometric market in future as it provides security and accuracy thereby reducing errors. Facial recognition systems using biometric technology at the Airports is gaining traction to provide hassle free services while boarding flights.

According to the recent report published by TechSci Research, “Global Biometrics Market By Type (Fingerprint Recognition, Facial Recognition, Hand/Palm Recognition, Iris Scanner, Voice Recognition, Vein Scanner & Others), By End Use Sector, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 – 2021” the global biometrics market is projected to cross US $ 24.8 billion by 2021. Fingerprint recognition biometric systems are the most preferred type of biometric systems used across the globe, owing to their ease of use, low cost, high speed and accurate results. However, in terms of growth, vein scanner biometrics systems segment is anticipated to outpace fingerprint recognition biometrics systems over the next five years.