The world's first airport will fully adopt biometric boarding by 2025.

Zayed International Airport in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi is taking a big step into the future of aviation. With the Smart Travel Project, all airport checkpoints will be equipped with biometric technology by 2025, promising a completely new experience for passengers.

Biometric technology will lay the foundation for a smarter airport security system

Professor Sheldon Jacobson of the University of Illinois (USA), one of the leading scientists in the field of airport security, expressed admiration for Zayed International Airport's application of facial recognition technology.

He said this was an important step, marking the transition from traditional security control methods to a smarter, more efficient system. Zayed Airport has laid the foundation for a smarter, more efficient and less disruptive security system for passengers.

The complete elimination of paper in the airport check-in process has raised concerns among many about the possibility of the system being hacked and causing serious disruptions to airport operations.

Specifically, they fear an incident similar to the Crowdstrike attack could completely cripple the system, affecting thousands of passengers. However, Professor Jacobson said such incidents are rare and the long-term benefits of adopting biometric technology will outweigh the potential risks.

The Smart Travel Project at Zayed International Airport is the result of close collaboration between the airport and the UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security. Thanks to a biometric database collected from first-time visitors to the country, the airport can verify passengers’ identities quickly and accurately at every checkpoint, thereby enhancing the travel experience and ensuring absolute security.

Professor Jacobson said the pace of implementation of new technologies, especially biometrics, in the US and the UAE is completely different. While the US Airport Security Administration (TSA) tends to be cautious and implement changes slowly, the UAE can implement large projects more quickly thanks to its flexible political system. This explains why such large-scale biometric data collection may be difficult to accept in the US at the present time.

Despite initial skepticism, the convenience and efficiency of biometric technology is slowly winning the American public over to its use at airports.

“For biometric technology to be widely applied, airports need to be more proactive in building clear, transparent processes and providing full information to passengers. Passenger trust is a decisive factor in the success of this technology,” emphasized Mike Taylor, Senior Managing Director of JD Power.

Meanwhile, Shawn DuBravac, a futurist and technology expert, predicts biometrics will revolutionize travel. He says that while the use of biometric technology is growing, the goal of eliminating all paperwork in travel within the next year is ambitious and challenging.

Biometrics are predicted to revolutionize the security screening process at airports. Shawn DuBravac said that this technology will help airport staff process passenger information more quickly and accurately.

“Automating processes will help employees focus on tasks that require interaction and understanding of customers. This will not only improve work efficiency but also bring a warmer and more intimate travel experience,” Mr. Shawn DuBravac emphasized.

How do US airports apply biometric technology?

A survey by US-based global market research firm JD Power found that a significant proportion (53%) of passengers at a major US airport are willing to accept the use of biometric technology to pass through security checks. However, a small number (12%) still expressed concerns about the security of personal information.

The public has raised many concerns about the protection of personal information during biometric registration, including the type of data that needs to be provided, how secure the data is, and the potential for the data to be used to track individual behavior.

In a social media comment, billionaire Elon Musk compared the check-in process at Zayed International Airport to that of airports in the US and said that the US needs to catch up. He was particularly impressed with the convenience and speed of the check-in system at Zayed International Airport.

“Musk’s view of widespread biometric adoption at U.S. airports is a bit too optimistic,” said national security lawyer Irina Tsukerman, who said privacy and cost concerns could be major barriers to large-scale biometric deployment in the U.S.

Ms. Irina Tsukerman attributed the success of the biometric system at Zayed International Airport to the country's unique conditions, including a centralized government, high public trust and abundant resources. In contrast, in the United States, large-scale implementation of such a system would be more difficult due to the diversity and complexity of society.

Although Elon Musk has criticized the outdated state of US airports, in fact, some major airports such as Los Angeles International Airport have pioneered the application of biometric technology to the boarding process.

Since 2018, passengers at Los Angeles International Airport have been able to experience completely contactless check-in through biometric checkpoints. There are up to four biometric lanes at each international departure gate, and facial recognition technology can be used to verify passengers touchlessly and paperlessly.

Ian Law, director of digital transformation at Los Angeles International Airport, said the technology has helped shorten check-in times and enhance the passenger experience.

While no other U.S. airport has achieved the level of automation that Zayed Airport has, biometric technology is slowly being incorporated into the check-in process at airports across the country. The TSA’s PreCheck program, now available at more than 200 airports and used by dozens of airlines, allows passengers to use facial recognition to speed up check-in. To participate in PreCheck, passengers must meet certain requirements and complete an online registration process.

Publicly traded Clear has expanded its service to more than 55 airports across the United States. With this service, passengers who pay a fee and undergo pre-security screening are given priority access to biometric checkpoints, saving significant time. However, Clear’s rapid growth has also raised questions about fairness and equality in access to airport services.

Amadeus, one of the leading solutions providers for the aviation industry, has been implementing biometric systems at many airports around the world such as Dubai (UAE), Vancouver (Canada), Perth (Australia) and Heathrow (UK).

However, Chris Keller, Vice President of Airport and Airline Operations at Amadeus, said that in the near future, the combination of biometric technology and traditional methods will be the mainstream. This means that passengers will have more options when checking in at the airport, meeting the diverse needs of each customer.

Professor Jacobson asserted that biometric systems at airports would be a significant deterrent to those with malicious intent. “Having their faces recognized at the airport would be a powerful deterrent, significantly reducing security risks,” he said.

However, he also noted that billionaire Elon Musk’s comments on the issue were not comprehensive. Jacobson explained: “We are not lagging behind other countries, but are in the process of constantly developing and perfecting the system. Implementing an effective biometric security system requires time, resources and serious investment.”

Implementing new technologies in the airline industry often comes with challenges. As in the case of PreCheck, it took eight years for the idea to come to fruition.

“People are often concerned about changing habits and security issues, so to drive innovation we need to ensure that new technologies are not only effective, but also safe and user-friendly,” said Jacobson.

In the US, passengers may have to wait a little longer before they can experience fully automated check-in procedures using facial recognition, from the check-in counter to the boarding gate.