With the new “Biometric Experience” app, passengers can travel using only facial recognition.
The future is (really) today. Although it’s an old phrase, it perfectly sums up the new feature announced by ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal this Thursday, January 11.
The next time you catch a plane in Porto or Lisbon, you may not have to show any ID to enter the boarding gate.
ANA, owned by Vinci Airports, is implementing a new technological solution at Portuguese airports. It’s called “Biometric Experience” and it’s a system that allows you to board with just the image of your face, so you no longer have to show your passport or ID card.
The first tests will begin with passengers flying with TAP, on flights previously selected by the company, within the Schengen area. “In a second phase, other airlines and more destinations will be added, including extra-European flights,” they explained.
In order to board without an ID card, passengers who are included on the test flights must register in advance on a mobile device using the “Biometric Experience” app, available on IOS and Android. Alternatively, they can also register at the airport, on a device available for this purpose, located at the entrance to check-in or near the boarding gates.
Registration is quite simple: in the app or at the kiosk, simply photograph or scan your passport or Portuguese nationality card and take a selfie. After accepting the terms and conditions, users will have a “smoother and faster” boarding experience by having their biometric data scanned.
The process, which simplifies travel, is only available to passengers of legal age. Once the flight has departed, all the data will be deleted.
The biometric system was launched at the beginning of the year and is only available at Lisbon and Porto airports. In the second half of 2024, the technological solution will be available in Faro, Madeira and Ponta Delgada.
“This technology is at the forefront of the most innovative boarding procedures in airports worldwide and is part of a strong investment by VINCI Airports in its network, with a project in this area already underway since 2022 at Lyon Airport,” they point out.
The innovation project is supported by the European Union, through the NextGeneratioEU program, which focuses on the “application of technology to improve the quality of service and digital transformation in airports”.