Facial recognition is central to the future of personal identification in air travel.
In recent years, facial recognition has broken through into the mainstream of public consciousness and acceptance thanks to large-scale deployments at high-profile international airports. Automation of security procedures not only positively impacts accuracy; it also frees up personnel so they can put greater attention to the experiential elements of airports. And as numbers grow, this is an opportunity that cannot be underestimated.
A recognised pioneer in this area, we have both the experience and expertise to support airports and airlines looking to exploit the benefits of AI-powered facial recognition to improve security and enhance passenger satisfaction.
The Aurora-AI Approach
Our approach to facial recognition is defined by accuracy, robustness and speed.
These are the hallmarks of our large-scale deployments at London Heathrow and Manchester Airports, which use specialist, near-infrared (IR) sensors combined with our AI based facial recognition software.
IR imaging avoids many of the issues associated with visible light (CCTV) imaging systems, where problems are caused by variations in ambient lighting. IR image capture is consistent in all conditions without the need for additional lighting and has facilitated mandatory, rather than purely optional use for passengers.
For complete flexibility, our technology can also offer IR-to-Colour & Colour-to-Colour matching, using images derived from passports or third-party databases.
Watch how:
Our Face Recognition Solutions
Passenger numbers have now become far more difficult to predict in the short to medium term, but customer satisfaction cannot be compromised. Changes in the passenger journey due to new protocols such as biosecurity measures must not create frustration caused by longer delays than necessary. Facial recognition is widely accepted as a tool for the air industry and is attractive to passengers due to its zero contact operation.
Other technologies, such as fingerprint readers have been seen to bring about delays – as passengers struggle to apply the correct finger in the correct fashion, divesting themselves of paperwork, bags and gloves – facial recognition simply requires them to look.
Our systems are non-contact so won’t contribute to any contamination and require minimum passenger interaction to capture a high-quality image for enrolment or comparison. They will enable processing of every person, at every control point, at all times of the day.
Facial Recognition in Aviation
Aurora-AI facial recognition has many potential applications within airports, and we work with a diverse community of system integrators, equipment manufacturers and end users, adding a biometric layer to existing processes to enhance performance.
Our facial recognition has enabled “self-boarding” of aircraft by integrating with security lanes and checking a passenger’s identity against a boarding card or passport, ensuring this has not been swapped and greatly increasing security.
Passengers can also be identified at the gate without the need to present any further documentation, in support of Frequent Flyer programmes or simply to enhance the passenger experience.
In divestment areas, face recognition can also be used to identify individual passengers subject to enhanced security protocols and differentiate staff and crew from passengers in shared security lanes.
Further resources
Resource
Whitepaper: Adding Biosecurity to the Common Departure Lounge process
Download our whitepaper on an overview of how border control incorporates biosecurity screening.
Resource
Whitepaper: The Common Departure Lounge
Download our whitepaper for an overview on using biometrics to manage increasing passenger numbers.