Next50, a company specializing in facial recognition technology, has begun deploying its system at Abu Dhabi International Airport. This system utilizes IDEMIA and SITA’s biometric solutions to verify the identities of travelers at self-service baggage drop points, electronic immigration gates, and boarding gates.

A deployment across all continents

The plan is to expand this system throughout the airport in order to simplify the traveler experience and reduce wait times. According to Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, once the project is completed, the airport will be the only one in the region to use biometric solutions at all customer touchpoints. This will make it the most technologically advanced airport in the world, providing a seamless journey for all its passengers. The phased deployment of biometric technologies was announced in November and is still ongoing.

In addition to the project in Abu Dhabi, IDEMIA has also been involved in the deployment of biometrics at Singapore’s Changi Airport. IDEMIA’s biometric capture devices have been deployed at Changi Airport earlier this year and are used in a special assistance lane (SAL) designed for use by wheelchair users and families. The SAL can process up to four families at a time and aims to reduce manual control times through the use of automation.

Solutions at the service of users

Furthermore, Idemia Identity & Security North America launched a TSA PreCheck initiative at the Ontario International Airport in Southern California. This initiative, open to Americans with a flight ticket once they have passed security, takes less than five minutes and allows most travelers to obtain a known traveler number in three to five days. The initiative is also available at the Orlando International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. According to Homeland Security Today, dedicated lanes for TSA PreCheck customers have kept wait times for 92% of passengers below five minutes in November.