Revolution in aviation: Replacement of boarding passes and check-in with facial recognition technology

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is preparing to implement a groundbreaking change in airport procedures. In a move expected to roll out within the next three years, traditional boarding passes and check-in processes will be replaced entirely with facial recognition systems, marking a major step toward full digitalization in air travel.

Goodbye Check-In & Boarding Passes

The era of checking in at the airport or online and using printed or digital boarding passes will soon become history. The United Nations-affiliated ICAO is introducing a new “digital travel credential” system that aims to overhaul current airport regulations.

According to The Times, this new approach will allow passengers to download a digital travel document to their phones as soon as they purchase a flight ticket. If any changes are made to the reservation, the document will update automatically.

Facial Recognition to Replace Check-In

Passengers will also be able to upload their passport details to their mobile devices and proceed through airport checkpoints using facial recognition technology. The traditional check-in process—which currently helps airlines verify who is boarding—will be eliminated as this identification will happen automatically.

Once a passenger is detected by facial recognition systems at the airport, their data will be instantly transmitted to the airline.

 “The Biggest Shift in 50 Years”

Valerie Viale, a senior executive at travel tech company Amadeus, told The Times that this represents “the biggest change in 50 years” for the aviation industry.

“The last major transformation was in the early 2000s, when electronic ticketing was introduced. The industry has now decided it’s time to move to modern systems,” said Viale.

What About Privacy Concerns?

Viale also addressed concerns about data privacy, noting that Amadeus has developed a system that automatically deletes passenger data 15 seconds after it passes through a checkpoint.