Wider deployment follows Pangiam acquisition and CBP pilots
The expansion comes one year after BigBear.ai acquired Pangiam in a $70 million all-stock deal that closed in March 2024. Kevin McAleenan, Pangiam’s former CEO and a former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, was named CEO of BigBear.ai on 15 January 2025. The company, now headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is traded on the NYSE under the ticker BBAI.
The EPP platform leverages CBP’s Traveler Verification Service (TVS), a biometric facial-recognition system used to confirm passenger identity against passport or visa records. Gallery photos of U.S. citizens are deleted within 12 hours, and BigBear.ai states that its system follows the same retention policy across all sites. The technology is intended to reduce wait times and streamline processing, though no quantitative results have yet been released.
The twelve operational sites now include: Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), JFK International (JFK Terminals 4 and 8), Los Angeles International (LAX Tom Bradley and Terminal 7), Charlotte Douglas International (CLT), Denver International (DEN), Montreal-Trudeau (YUL), the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, the Port of Seattle, and the Cross-Border Xpress walkway connecting San Diego to Tijuana. Most of these locations began with pilot deployments in 2024, with the current expansion shifting to a standardized, arrival-focused workflow.
AI-driven processing aims to modernize travel security
EPP integrates biometric capture, edge-based facial matching, and AI-powered exception handling into a single system designed to reduce bottlenecks at border control. “Deploying Enhanced Passenger Processing at scale requires near seamless integration of advanced biometrics, AI, and operational infrastructure – this is where BigBear.ai excels,” said McAleenan. “We are proud to support international airports, seaports, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in transforming the security and safety for travelers, while elevating the passenger experience through AI-powered innovation.”
The system is now active at terminals such as JFK’s T4 and T8 and LAX’s Tom Bradley and Terminal 7. It is also part of arrival-area infrastructure at key entry points where facial biometrics must meet U.S. and international compliance standards. With international regulations tightening and border volumes rising, BigBear.ai positions its EPP technology as a scalable solution for real-time identity assurance in both aviation and maritime environments.
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