On Monday, 18 September, Singapore passed several reforms to the Immigration Act, including end-to-end biometric screening of Changi Airport passengers.
This means that travellers will no longer be required to show their passport, ticket, and boarding pass when passing through the airport’s numerous checkpoints.
Biometrics would be used for verification at several automated points in the departure process, from bag drop through immigration and boarding,
Singapore’s Minister for Communications, Josephine Teo, said the forthcoming changes will “reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at touch points and allow for more seamless and convenient processing.”
At immigration checkpoints, Changi Airport already employs biometric technology and face recognition software to some extent. However, Teo stated that the impending adjustments will “reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at touch points and allow for more seamless and convenient processing.”
Teo also stated that passports are still necessary for visitors from countries other than Singapore that do not provide passport-free processes.
Singapore Changi Airport was named the “Best Airport” for the 12th time in March 2023, and it has received hundreds of accolades for innovation, design, and overall effectiveness.
Facial recognition technology is already in use to different extents at the following airports: Hong Kong International Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport, London Heathrow Airport, and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
In October 2022, Dubai International Airport launched a biometric path where passengers would go through a tunnel to capture their biometric data.
