Brisbane Airport to introduce Australia's first facial recognition technology

Brisbane Airport will be trialling the SITA Smart Path, a biometric and automated passenger screening solution. The move comes in partnership with IT firm SITA and Air New Zealand.

As part of the technology, passengers will offer their details at a self-service kiosk at the check-in. At the time of boarding, they will use an automated boarding gate which will allow them entry into the aircraft by approving them through facial recognition technology.

The technology to enhance security is being trialled at check-in and boarding gate using SITA’s biometric technology, which will be used in association with other common-use solutions. Brisbane Airport is the first airport in Australia to launch such a trial. Smart Path allows passengers to link their travel documents to the biometric technology during checking in. As a result, they will be able to complete the boarding process without presenting a boarding pass, passport or any travel documents.

“This is a great opportunity for passengers to help shape the future of travel. We’re always striving to improve the airport experience at Brisbane Airport and this trial will allow us to test and refine new technology that we hope will make standard check-in and boarding processes more efficient and secure in the very near future,” Roel Hellemons, general manager Strategic Planning and Development, Brisbane Airport Corporation, said.

Smart Path can also be used for any other processes that involve presentation and/or checking of documents. The technology can be used by any airport and any airlines.

The news comes as the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection announced earlier this year that it will be launching automated passenger processing programs across the country. Meanwhile, border authorities in Canada and the US are also enhancing their biometric airport screening systems.

On Tuesday morning, a security breach at the domestic airport caused massive delays at the Virgin screening point area. The incident, which involved a suspected passenger who walked through the screening terminal when they were not allowed to, led to the entire screening area being placed on a lockdown.

Nevertheless, after an assessment of the security footage, all screening points were reopened. The incident did not cause any flight delays, nor were there any reports of injuries as a result.

Many people scheduled to fly had to face delays as a result of the incident. “It’s a busy time of morning so it will create a bit of a backlog,” a Brisbane Airport spokesperson said, according to the Courier Mail.