Preparations are underway to introduce automated, biometric eGates to Newcastle International Airport, administrators have announced.
Part of a new arrival hall that is currently under construction, the gates are being introduced in collaboration with the UK Border Force. They will use facial recognition to match travelers aged 12 or older to the biometric data stored in passports from the UK, European Economic Area, or Switzerland.
In a statement announcing the new facility, Newcastle International Airport Director of Operations Richard Knight pointed to the need to accommodate growing traveler volumes as prompting the upgrade. “At Newcastle, we pride ourselves on our low queue times across the airport and with passenger numbers through the terminal increasing, this expansion will play a big role in ensuring we can help passengers head home following a wonderful trip or experience all that the North East has to offer as a visitor as speedily as possible,” he said.
It’s a view that aligns with those of many others in the travel industry as many executives look to biometrics to adapt to both growing passenger traffic and an intensifying interest in biometric security on the part of border control authorities. Newcastle International Airport authorities say they expect work on the new hall and its eGates to be completed this June.
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March 16, 2018 – by Alex Perala
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