Finnair and Finavia Seek Seamless Air Travel with SisuID Pilot

Biometrics News – Facial Recognition

Finnair and Finavia are working to make air travel more efficient through a partnership with Finland’s Sandbox of Trust. The Sandbox of Trust is a Nixu digital identity pilot that is developing the SisuID platform, an app that links the user’s face to an official identity document.

SisuID enables face-based biometric authentication, and allows travelers to move through airport checkpoints with only a facial recognition scan. The opt-in feature requires the consent of each individual passenger, so users still have a degree of ownership over their personal information and can choose whether or not they want to share their facial biometrics with the airport.

The three organizations executed a pilot project earlier this year to examine the technical, logistical, and legal barriers that need to be overcome ahead of the widespread deployment of the SisuID system. Privacy was identified as the biggest concern, especially since people’s personal data would need to be shared with multiple organizations – including the airline and border control – to facilitate movement through the airport.

Nixu indicated that it will continue to explore the issue with future pilot programs in the Schengen area. For Finnair, the partnership is in keeping with a longstanding interest in biometric technology. The airline recently partnered with Vision-Box to trial a biometric boarding system at Los Angeles International Airport, though CEO Pekka Vauramo has warned that any solution would need to be compliant with Europe’s GDPR regulations.

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October 18, 2019 – by Eric Weiss