The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN agency responsible for shaping airline policies, plans to revise current airport and airline regulations by introducing a “digital travel certificate.”
Within three years, check-in and manual ticket checks at airports will be replaced, and passengers will use a digital pass that includes both their ticket and passport. Identity verification will be done through face control. Airlines will be notified when passengers arrive at the airport.
The system was tested in a pilot program in Finland, with 91% finding it “easy” to use, and 90% expressing interest in using it in the future.
Currently, passengers must check in, either electronically or at the airport upon arrival. They are then issued a boarding pass with a barcode, which is scanned at various points in the airport, including at the gate before boarding.
To implement these changes, airport infrastructure will need upgrades, including the installation of facial recognition technology and the ability to read passports with mobile devices.
Amadeus, the technology company, states that its system will delete passenger data within 15 seconds of face control, which will occur at designated points in the airport, in order to protect passenger privacy, according to the Guardian.
