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Heathrow Airport is introducing new technology so you won't have to show your passport or boarding pass

Close-up shot of a mid-adult woman holding a UK passport in her hand while waiting in the airport terminal.
Close-up shot of a mid-adult woman holding a UK passport in her hand while waiting in the airport terminal.

Clutching your passport and boarding pass is all part and parcel of jetting off on holiday.

But soon, if you fly from Heathrow Airport you might not need either.

According to report, from this summer Heathrow will introduce facial recognition technology that will mean passengers flying from the airport won’t need to show passports or boarding passes.

The £50m project, which would see the technology used at check-in, bag drop, security and boarding gates, will reduce the average passenger’s journey through the airport by up to a third, The Times reported.

Heathrow airport has announced an  increase in  passenger numbers for the 29th month in a row as 6.5 million passengers passed through the UKs busiest airport in March, an average of 210,000 per day. The increase was 0.5 per cent compared with the same month in 2018, representing an additional 1,000 passengers per day. (Photo credit should read Amer Ghazzal / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Growing passengers mean Heathrow is looking at innovative ways to improve their experience and speed up their journey through the airport (Picture: Amer Ghazzal / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Aviation consultant Alex Macheras told the newspaper: “Major American airports already have this and Asia is light years ahead in technology.

“From the point of view of convenience it undoubtedly works, although customers will have concerns about how their data is protected and airports must be transparent about this.”

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Facial recognition technology is already used in some parts of the airport, such as passport ‘e-gates’ but will reportedly be rolled out to every stage of a passenger’s journey through the airport.

Speaking in October, Heathrow Customer Relations and Service Director Jonathan Coen said growing passenger numbers mean they have to look for innovative ways to make it easier and quicker for them to travel through the airport.

He said: “Biometrics are key to helping us do that and we are really excited about the biggest roll out of this equipment at any UK airport.

“With this technology we’ll be able to offer passengers choice on how they travel through our airport, with colleagues on hand to guide passengers that require it.

“Biometric technology has been well received by our passengers so far and we’re looking forward to working with our colleagues and the airline community as part of our ongoing transformation at Heathrow, with a focus on enhancing passenger experience.”

According to reports, customers will still be able to choose not to use facial recognition technology.