Bristol Airport has encouraged its inbound passengers to make use of new facial recognition gates, which have been installed to strengthen border security and increase efficiency at arrivals points.
People over the age of 18 who hold a new biometric passport can use the machines, which scan passengers’ faces and compare the image to the photo on their document.
The gates have been trialled at Manchester Airport and Stansted Airport and have proved successful, with more than half a million people using the service.
Lin Homer, chief executive of the UK Border Agency, said the machines at Bristol Airport will make the country safer and improve the travel experience for passengers.
Alison Roberts, the airport’s terminal manager, said: “In the long-term we aim to increase the space available for immigration control, and our development plans include proposals to extend the existing terminal building to reduce bottlenecks in this area.
“However, the use of new technology can help improve today’s passenger experience, providing a positive first impression to visitors arriving in the UK.”
More than 17 million biometric passports have been issued in the UK since they were introduced in 2006.
Courtesy of www.justtheflight.co.uk
