Your face is your passport – AirAsia
KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia yesterday became the first airline in Malaysia and the continent to utilise facial recognition system at its selfboarding gate at Senai International Airport in Johor Baru.
The budget carrier said in a statement that the “Fast Airport Clearance Experience System” (FACES) allows passengers to have a seamless travel experience from check-in to boarding using the latest biometric facial recognition technology.
“Fully owned and operated by AirAsia, FACES uses facial recognition technology to identify enrolled guests as they approach the automated boarding gate, allowing them to board their flight without having to present any travel documents,” the statement said.
The company’s group CEO, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, said that FACES marks the carrier’s latest effort to make the on-ground experience more seamless and less stressful by using cutting edge biometric technology to authenticate passengers.
“With FACES, your face is your passport, making it a breeze to clear the gate and board your flight,” he said in the statement.
AirAsia passengers who wish to be part of FACES may do so using a dedicated enrolment kiosk located at the check-in kiosk area at Senai International Airport.
All they need to do is place their MyKad or chip-enabled passport in the document reader and look at the camera to create their biometric token.
The enrolment is a one-time process, after which guests may use AirAsia’s biometric gates for all flights as long as their identity document remains valid. It is available for passengers above 18 years old.
Upon expiry of the identity document, passengers will need to update the enrolment record with a new valid document. Enrolled passengers will also benefit from an expedited process at the security checkpoint, in addition to boarding the flight seamlessly.
AirAsia Deputy Group CEO (Digital, Transformation, Corporate Services) Aireen Omar said the AirAsia had invested about RM300,000 in the system at Senai Airport.
She said about 3,000 passengers had passed through the system during the one-month trial period for domestic flights at the airport last year.
“We are now in the midst of rolling out the system for our passengers departing from Senai to Macau and Don Muang Airport in Bangkok,” she said.
She added that AirAsia had robust security systems in place to ensure that the identification data recorded by the system would not be compromised or leaked.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed who launched the system, said the ministry is looking at the possibility of using a biometric identification platform that can be used for all its agencies.
He said the biometric identification system at the country’s entry points could not only record data of visitors entering and exiting but was also used to combat criminal activities such as human trafficking and cross-border crime.
“The ministry’s ultimate goal is to make sure that all agencies, including the Immigration Department, use a similar biometric identification platform.
“If there are companies like AirAsia with a biometric system that can be used, we are open to the proposal but have to ensure integration with the existing system,” he said.
Currently, the ministry is carrying out the National Immigration Control System which involves biometric fingerprint scan, eye (retina) and face, which is currently being implemented by the Immigration Department.
“In future, many countries will use biometric methods in the identification of passengers,” said Nur Jazlan.
Moreover, the deputy minister said the biometric identification system could also be used to facilitate the movement of people at the Johor Causeway and Linkedua.