Okay, let me set the scene for you. You’re mildly melancholy about the fact that your holiday has come to an end. You step off the plane and into the airport terminal, and the only thing igniting even a flicker of joy within you is the fact that you’ll soon be able to faceplant into the familiarity of your own pillow. And then you spot the queue for border control… Well folks, I come bearing some news that could be right up your street runway. A major new rule is being introduced across various UK airports – and it’s set to save passengers a whole lot of time.
Last week, East Midlands Airport became the first to welcome a new facial recognition system that will allow UK passport holders to scan their faces instead of their passports. This rather game-changing new rule will mean that travelers can pass through airport eGates without showing their passports, as facial recognition technology will match the live images against official immigration, travel, and passport records to identify passengers.
This major change comes in a bid to streamline the process and ‘modernise the UK border’. According to testing, the new facial recognition technology could speed up the border control waiting times by around 25%. The change has already been implemented at a couple of UK airports but a nationwide roll out is taking place – and the contactless border technology is set to span all UK eGates by the start of 2027. This will include London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London City, London Luton, and London Stansted.
Passengers are still advised to keep their passports on them at all times as if their faces cannot be recognised through the new contactless technology, they will need to use the current method of scanning their passports.
Karen Dee, chief executive of AirportsUK, said: “This will be excellent news for the passenger and demonstrates how UK airports continue to be at the forefront of new technologies to keep our borders safe, while improving the travelling experience.
“It is vital that we have fast, efficient borders that arrivals into the UK now expect, and we will work closely with our members and government officials to ensure a smooth rollout.”
Find out more about the nationwide rollout here.
