Facial recognition comes to Cardiff Airport

Passengers at Cardiff Airport’s arrivals lounge will soon be able to experience facial recognition technology.

The new technology gates will be made available to any adult European or UK biometric passport holder that has had it issued since 2006. The new machines will offer the capability to scan passengers faces in a matter of seconds before comparing them against digital passport photos. At this early stage the new gates offering the scans will be entirely optional.

The voluntary scheme is part of the overall introduction of the facial recognition technology which is being trialled at 10 airports across the UK. Facial recognition is currently being used at Bristol, Stanstead and Manchester Airports. The new gates are operated by Cardiff Airport in conjunction with the UK Border Agency.

Hailing the new move, the UKBA Welsh assistant director Bob Lyne said the new technology would make more secure what is already one of the world’s toughest border controls.

Lyne claimed the new gates would improve customer service while at the same time making Britain a safer place.

The visitor experience will also be enhanced as Welsh passengers are given the option of using the new technology. Business travellers in particular have been receptive to the trials to date as the faster processing times at the e-passport gates make using them a practical option.

As with the excising manual gates, the new e-gates will still refer to security watch-lists when it comes to background checks. Passengers will also still be subjected to random manual checks by customs and immigration officials.

Since 2006, more than 17 million biometric passports have been issued across the UK. The facial image technology will next be rolled out at Luton, East Midlands, Gatwick North and Birmingham airports.