East Midlands Airport has implemented a new contactless passport control system, allowing UK passport holders arriving at the airport to have their faces scanned at eGates instead of their passports. This marks the first instance of such technology being used at a UK airport.
The system is designed for UK citizens aged eight and over who are at least 120cm tall. If the facial scan is unsuccessful, passengers can still use their passport or be directed to a border guard. Similar systems are already in use at airports internationally, including in Japan, Singapore, and Dubai.
Birmingham Airport is anticipated to introduce this technology soon, with further UK airports expected to follow in early 2027. The Home Office indicates that trials of the system have resulted in queues being 25% quicker. For Birmingham Airport, where average passport control wait times were 20 minutes, this could mean a reduction of around five minutes.
The new process involves airlines providing passport details to Border Force at the destination airport when a flight is booked. The system then automatically compares the facial scan against this data to open the gate. Civil rights campaigners have expressed concerns about facial recognition becoming a standard method of identity verification, citing past errors and discrimination issues in other applications like policing.