Automated passport control gates based on facial recognition technology were unveiled to the press at Narita airport ahead of their official debut. The operator of Narita International Airport said it will introduce in spring 2020 the facial recognition system, which will enable passengers to board planes, after check-in, without showing their passports or boarding passes.
Narita will be the first airport in the nation to adopt a system that does not require passengers to pause for identification when boarding, according to Narita International Airport Corp.
The unmanned gates, which officially debuts on Monday, Mar. 4, will automate passport control for Japanese passengers by comparing photos of passengers’ faces with the data in their passports to confirm their identities.
Thirty-one gates will be installed at the three terminals in Japan’s main international gateway. The facial recognition technology-based system will also be introduced at Haneda (Tokyo International Airport), Chubu Centrair International Airport near Nagoya, Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture and Fukuoka Airport.
Although passports and boarding tickets will not be manually checked, passengers will still have to go through existing procedures at immigration control.
The operator of Narita hopes that the system will improve convenience for passengers ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
By: Maytinee Kramer
