Following a trial period, Milan Linate Airport has begun offering the FaceBoarding service, which enables passengers that opt in to pass through security and board aircraft using a biometric facial recognition system.
The service is open to all airlines willing to integrate their check-in and boarding procedures with FaceBoarding. Ita Airways and SAS are the first airlines to join the project.
Passenger process
This service optimizes the passenger experience at the airport by enabling those who have already registered – either at the airport kiosks or directly from their mobile devices (the mobile app will be available in June) – to shorten the process of checking identification documents. As a result, passengers will no longer need to present their documents and/or boarding passes at the pre-security turnstiles and boarding gates, which will become self-service. The FaceBoarding service also enhances security.
The solution is an evolution of the previous test phase and, like its precursor, relies on the voluntary participation of passengers through annual or single flight registration.
Project partners
Developed in collaboration with ENAC and the Italian State Police, FaceBoarding is said to speed up checking processes and increase their effectiveness while guaranteeing the privacy and security of passenger data. Airport operator SEA’s project partners, Thales and Dormakaba, developed the biometric processing system and the dedicated gates respectively.
In related news, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and Società Esercizi Aeroportuali (SEA) are to finance airport vehicle charging columns and fixed power supply infrastructure for aircraft at Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa airports in Italy. Click here to read full story.