Written by Staff Writer.
Biometrics identity company IDEMIA is commencing the phase two installation of facial recognition technologies for arriving passengers at major Australian international airports.
When the phase two rollout is complete in 2024, eligible inbound travellers can complete the initial facial recognition process at the familiar e-kiosks. They can then head straight to the eGates without needing any token (currently in the form of a paper-based ticket issued by the e-kiosks).
“With this solution, there is no need for a token, as the traveller’s face is used as proof of their identity, ensuring a smooth and stress-free travel experience,” says an IDEMIA media release.
The upgrade comes as international passenger numbers recover from their Covid-19 lows. In November 2022, 970,000 international passengers passed through Sydney Airport compared to 95,000 in November 2021. At the country’s second busiest airport, Melbourne, 647,368 international passengers moved through in November 2022 compared to just 46,392 in November 2021.
Forty-six passenger airlines are back flying into Sydney, and Melbourne is now handling 30 passenger airlines. As traffic numbers start to return to pre-pandemic levels, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs says it is keen to streamline the passenger arrivals process as much as possible – and that includes reducing the queues and times taken to clear into the country.
Passengers have used eGates at Australian airports since 2007, but in the middle of the last decade, Home Affairs recognised the need to start the upgrade process. A now discarded 2017 plan using proprietary technology produced by Vision-Box, wanted to match passengers’ faces using facial recognition-enabled eGates and compare them against facial images stored in individual airline’s passenger processing databases.
The Vision-Box concept meant passengers could have kept their passports in their pockets. The e-kiosks would have also become redundant. However, after trialling the technology at several airports, in 2019, Home Affairs found the technology not fit for purpose and turned to IDEMIA, who had been involved with installing Australia’s initial immigration eGates.
Headquartered in France, IDEMIA does business with over 600 government agencies worldwide. Since 2019, the company has installed 109 so-called Gen3 Kiosks at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Coolangatta, and Cairns Airports. The nifty machines spit out the ticket that speeds you through the eGates and out into the landside arrivals halls.
When the phase two rollout is complete, aside from not having to insert the paper ticket at the eGates, travellers won’t notice any changes from the current system. However, biometric validation will occur at both the e-kiosk and eGate, with the image captured at the e-kiosk compared to the passenger presenting at the eGate and their stored passport image. Home Affairs calls this a two-stage system and say it should speed up the arrivals process.
IDEMIA’s contract to support and maintain Australia’s automated arrivals process runs from June 2019 to June 2024 and is worth AUD42.7 million in total to the company. Darwin is expected to be the first airport to have the phase two stage up and running.
