According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), 46% of passengers used biometrics at the airport in 2024, and 73% of travelers want to use biometric identification instead of physical documents. In other words, the majority of flyers are ready to trust their faces or fingerprints to speed up their journey—which is great news for airports all across the world. This data only provides an extra incentive to innovate their processes further, making them both more efficient and secure with the help of biometrics.
In this article, we’re going to explore the growing role of biometrics in air travel, how it improves every step of the passenger journey, the top benefits it brings, and the two core challenges of implementing this technology.
The role of biometrics in air travel
Airport biometric screening replaces manual ID checks with automated recognition of a traveler’s physical characteristics. Instead of presenting a passport or boarding pass multiple times, a passenger can be identified via their face, fingerprint, or iris scan, which is matched against their stored travel documents. Facial recognition is by far the most widely used modality—modern systems map distinct features of a person’s face and compare them to their passport photo or a government database in seconds.
Biometrics make it nearly impossible for someone to use a fake passport or assume another person’s identity at checkpoints. A device at a security gate can instantly confirm if your biometric data matches the identity on file, much faster—and often more reliably—than a human could. This technology has already been integrated into major international airports, including:
- Singapore Changi Airport, where 95% of immigration processing will be automated by 2026, allowing passengers to clear security in 10 seconds.
- Dubai International Airport, where biometric smart gates now verify travelers at security, immigration, and boarding gates without manual checks.
- Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport, which is implementing biometric sensors at every security checkpoint in 2025.
On top of that, airports that are under construction right now, such as King Salman International, already have biometric screening systems embedded in their plans.
How the passenger journey is improved by biometrics
Ticket booking
During the ticket booking or registration phase, passengers can enroll their biometrics so that their identity is pre-verified for travel. With many travelers now booking flights online, airlines have introduced options to capture your biometric data through their mobile apps or websites. This typically involves taking a selfie and scanning your passport at home as part of setting up a “digital travel ID.” The selfie is matched against your passport photo to verify your identity, and the biometric data (e.g., facial profile) is then securely stored in your profile for later use. Once you link your upcoming flight booking to this profile, you can use biometric identification for the rest of your journey.
Online check-in
If you check in using your face or other biometrics via an app, online check-in can be as simple as taking a selfie. Instead of manually entering passport details, you simply verify your face through your phone’s camera. The system compares it to the biometric data you provided at booking, and, if it matches, checks you in securely. Lufthansa has piloted precisely this kind of biometric online check-in: a quick selfie cross-checked against your passport means your identity is confirmed ahead of time.
Airport check-in
At the airport, the traditional check-in process is also being reimagined with biometrics. Many airports have installed biometric check-in kiosks that verify your identity on the spot via face scan. These kiosks can pull up your booking once they recognize your face, so you don’t need to present an ID or even touch the screen. In Tokyo’s Narita Airport, for example, new check-in machines introduced in early 2025 removed touchscreens entirely—passengers stand in front of a camera and use hand gestures to navigate the check-in menu, while facial recognition verifies their identity before issuing boarding passes.
Baggage drop/claim
Airlines and airports have long battled issues like baggage fraud—for example, someone checking in a bag under a false identity, or picking up someone else’s bag from the carousel. Biometric verification at bag drop and claim addresses this by tightly linking bags to the rightful owner. When you drop off luggage at a biometric bag-drop station, a camera may now scan your face and associate your identity with that bag’s tag. At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (Terminal 1 and 3), for instance, biometric bag drop systems automatically link checked luggage to the passenger’s facial profile. At baggage claim, the same biometric data is used to verify identity before releasing the luggage—minimizing the risk of fraud or lost items. This means no one can fraudulently claim your luggage at the destination, because the system knows that it’s attached to your face and name.
Security screening
In a number of major U.S. airports today, you’ll encounter a facial recognition camera at the TSA document check podium. Instead of a TSA officer manually comparing your face to your ID, the camera does an instant 1:1 face match with the photo in your passport or driver’s license data. Travelers simply pause briefly at a camera, and if the system sees that you are who you say you are, the gate opens and you proceed to the X-ray scan. The overall effect is that verifying identity at these checkpoints is now fast and touchless.
Boarding
Airlines are rapidly deploying facial recognition at boarding gates so that passengers can board the plane with just a look at a camera. As of mid-2024, a remarkable 98% of airlines have either implemented biometric boarding or are planning to do so. The motivation is clear: it speeds up the boarding process and adds security. Biometric boarding means no more fumbling for QR codes or paper stubs while juggling carry-on bags—you simply walk up to the gate, glance at a camera, and walk on. On top of that, someone can’t use a boarding pass that isn’t theirs, because the system will flag the face mismatch.
Top 5 benefits of airport biometrics
Now that we’ve seen how biometrics is used from check-in to boarding, let’s summarize the biggest benefits of adopting biometric systems in air travel. Broadly, these technologies bring improvements in security, efficiency, and customer experience, while also helping the industry save costs and prevent fraud:
Enhanced security
First and foremost, biometrics make airports more secure by strengthening identity verification. It becomes extremely difficult for someone to pose as someone else when a face or fingerprint scan is required at each touchpoint. And, unlike a human officer checking IDs, a biometric system is highly accurate and algorithmically consistent. The Australian Border Force has tried a fully biometric passport control process for international arrivals, using facial recognition to verify travelers with no documents needed. The trial was successful, and Australia expects to expand contactless biometric entry across all major airports by 2030.
Faster processing
A facial recognition system can confirm a passenger’s identity in under 10 seconds, whereas a manual ID inspection might take significantly longer—especially if done repeatedly at various checkpoints. When every minute counts in a busy airport, those seconds saved at each stage add up to shorter lines and less waiting. One good example is the U.S. Global Entry program: travelers enrolled in Global Entry use a biometric kiosk that scans their face (or fingerprints in older kiosks) when arriving from abroad. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that this expedites the customs entry process enormously, since the machine can match a traveler to their passport record almost instantly.
Improved passenger experience
With a face-as-ticket approach, there’s no need to present documents over and over. You’re recognized and waved through, which means less anxiety about losing your ID or boarding pass along the way. Frequent fliers who have experienced biometric boarding or security often report that it feels like a VIP process—you simply walk up and go, while others might be queuing up in traditional lines.
Several surveys confirm that travelers appreciate these changes. A 2024 U.S. Travel Association report found that nearly 80% of U.S. travelers support the use of biometrics at airport security checkpoints, primarily because it saves time and reduces hassle. Additionally, fewer physical touchpoints (like handing documents to officers) means a more contactless and hygienic experience—a consideration that became especially important during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cost efficiency
Global air travel is projected to grow tremendously (with passenger volumes doubling by 2040). Meeting that demand by simply building more check-in counters or hiring more staff for manual document checks would be extremely costly and impractical, especially for airports already tight on space. Biometric systems offer a smarter way to increase capacity: they speed up processing so much that each gate or checkpoint can handle more people per hour, delaying or negating the need for costly expansions. There’s also a savings in staffing, as personnel can be redeployed to other tasks that improve customer service instead of manual checks.
Fraud prevention
Traditional travel documents—passports, visas, boarding passes, etc.—can be stolen or counterfeited. And while security staff are trained to spot fakes, automated biometric checks operate on a completely different level: they are an almost insurmountable hurdle for fraudsters. The upcoming EU Entry/Exit System (EES), for example, will register fingerprints and facial images for every non-EU visitor entering the Schengen area, and cross-verify them each trip. This means if someone tried to re-enter on a different passport or identity, the biometric mismatch would expose the fraud immediately.
Challenges of biometrics implementation in air travel
Biometric systems are rapidly expanding, but the rollout comes with significant challenges, particularly around privacy and security. By nature, biometrics involve collecting personal data (faces, fingerprints, iris scans, etc.) that people understandably consider highly sensitive. That’s why there are strict regulations in place in many jurisdictions: in the European Union, for instance, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforces strong guidelines on biometric data use. In the United States, agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have stated policies that any biometric data they collect is encrypted and kept only for a short, defined period. Every biometric system must comply with relevant regulations, which is not necessarily easy to achieve.
Hand-in-hand with privacy is the issue of data security. Storing biometric information (even if only for short durations) creates a target for cyberattacks. A breach of biometric databases is a scary scenario because, unlike a password, you can’t change your fingerprints or face if they get compromised. Airports and agencies must invest heavily in encryption, secure storage, and system monitoring to defend against hacks. They also need clear protocols for what happens if a breach occurs—for example, notifying affected travelers and ensuring that stolen biometric data cannot be reused to fraudulently enter another system.
Conclusion
Biometrics has moved from niche pilot programs to mainstream adoption, and its impact is clear: shorter lines, smoother interactions, and stronger security. A passenger in an airport with end-to-end biometrics can check in, drop bags, clear security, and board the plane with hardly a pause—their face or fingerprint serves as a universal key at every checkpoint. As biometric boarding grows in adoption, so does the need for advanced solutions to support it. For instance, face biometrics checks can be carried out by air, ensuring convenience and safety at every stage of the journey—from ticket booking to baggage claim.
This cross-platform biometric verification solution features:
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Seamless integration: Works with airport check-in kiosks, mobile apps, and border control systems.
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Advanced facial recognition: Uses liveness detection to prevent spoofing.
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1:1 and 1:N matching: Verifies a passenger’s identity individually or against a database.
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Facial attribute analysis: Evaluates age, expressions, and accessories for added verification accuracy.
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Adaptive to environment: Performs accurately in various lighting conditions.
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Multilingual interface: Available in over 30 languages for global compatibility.
As an ICAO TV sponsor, Regula has contributed valuable insights to the global aviation community through a series of expert video segments. These videos explore topics such as identity verification, digital transformation at borders, and the future of secure travel—all aligned with ICAO’s mission to enhance aviation security and facilitation. By sharing their expertise on this international platform, Regula continues to support the advancement of secure, efficient, and technology-driven processes across the air transport sector. You can explore their contributions on the ICAO TV platform.
About the contributor
Regula is a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions. With 30+ years of experience in forensic research and the most comprehensive library of document templates in the world, we create breakthrough technologies for document and biometric verification. Our hardware and software solutions allow over 1,000 organizations and 80 border control authorities globally to provide top-notch client service without compromising safety, security or speed.
Regula was repeatedly named a Representative Vendor in Gartner® Market Guide for Identity Verification.