Will Heathrow’s new facial scanners replace passports?

PASSENGERS could soon fly from Heathrow without having to show their passport or boarding pass.

Britain’s busiest airport plans to install facial scanners at every point of departure in a £50million project aimed at speeding up the traveller’s journey.

Heathrow, which claims average waiting could be cut by up to a third, eventually wants passengers to ‘walk through the airport without breaking their stride’. The facial scanners will be based on the technology already used at e-passport gates. To use the system, passengers must download their passport details, including their photo, on a smartphone app.

The airport said: ‘Manual authentication means that passengers need to present different ID to different agents to show that they’re authorised to travel. By offering passengers the option to use more instant facial recognition technology, they will have the choice to significantly reduce the amount of paper used.’

The system will be tested at Heathrow next summer. If successful, it will be launched across the airport in what is claimed to be the largest deployment of biometric technology in the world.

Sydney airport has tested a similar scheme. And facial recognition technology is already in use for people using Heathrow for domestic flights.

Heathrow spokesman Jonathan Coen said: ‘We must look for innovative ways to make it easier and quicker for passengers to travel while keeping our airport secure. Biometrics are key to helping us do that.’

Delays at Heathrow passport control for passengers arriving in Britain reached up to two and half hours over the summer.