Almost twenty years ago, the early developments of biometric technology in the aviation industry started. The 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 was one of the reasons for the evolution of passenger screening (LaDier, 2020). During the following decades, several investigations, collaborations, investments, and innovations made possible what was eventually ensured in 2018: the opening of the Smart Tunnel at Dubai International Airport. This tunnel enables passengers to finish passport control procedures within seconds by simply walking through this biometric recognition system (Shouk, 2020). This might contribute to safer conditions in the current COVID-19 situation and will benefit the overcrowded airports in normal circumstances. However, many concerns about privacy have been raised. The future which was talked about in 2001 has arrived, but will this technology be accepted worldwide?
To be able to discuss that question, it is important to evaluate the exact operation of the biometric technology in the Smart Tunnel. Biometrics is a type of self-service technology which is used in the Smart Tunnel for facial recognition, passport control, security screening, baggage check-in, and shipment (Negri et al, 2019). This, therefore, is an efficient model throughout the end-to-end identification process, from check-in to boarding. This model is also facilitated by the use of Big Data, consisting of flight characteristics and passengers’ socio-demographics (Negri et al, 2019). Consequently, a faster and safer environment is created at airports, lowering operational costs (from $3.68 to $0.16 per passenger). However, space reconfiguration will be necessary in order to use all airport space efficiently, as biometric machines, or Smart Tunnels, reduce the number of required security servers and the respective service (Kalakou et al, 2015).
Smart Tunnels form a digital evolution that should be further developed in these COVID-19 times, which could be particularly beneficial as passengers do not have to get in physical contact with airport employees, their luggage does not have to be touched, and so on. If you ask me, the ‘smart passenger journey’ thus seems like a perfect transformation of the total airport experience.
However, several challenges remain with the implementation of this technology with its related models. Obviously, privacy concerns are an important reason as personal data is used. This data might be misused which could lead to hazardous situations. Moreover, technology performance might be an issue. In case of failure of the system, a bottleneck arises which will affect the whole check-in process of passengers at the airport (Ladier, 2020).
In my point of view, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in the long term. How would you personally experience this Smart Tunnel? And do you think many airports will follow to create a Smart Tunnel by using biometric technology?
Sources:
LaDier, 2020 https://www.internationalairportreview.com/article/118268/biometric-technology-aviation-history-benefits/
Negri et al, 2019 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969699719300730
Kalakou et al, 2015 https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0969699714001392?token=2902D1829B4EFFD89740EAAC8592E3EA655A7311AE7EE7F067B9F45F3FB95BC9E09B515A538DEA139A5E0AB5AE0A50F8
Hi Stephanie! Thanks for sharing the article! I found this topic very interesting! Although I have been realized that biometric technology is gradually being widely used in many other situations such as the face recognition in supermarket “checkout” or the security check in the entrance of the apartment. However, I have not thought of for the visa control in the airport, which, actually could bring lots of value for both passengers and airport. As a non-EU citizen, I always found the manual visa checking procedure very time-consuming every time I travel back/from my home country. Such situation is even worse especially in this COVID-19 period due to the social distancing rules. Therefore, I am very excited to see more airports could adopt such technology, to accelerate or even avoid visa control process at the airport. This would definitely enhance the efficiency of the airports and improve the convenience for passengers. Besides, I do agree that the security of the data and safety will be one of the main issues, and my random thought is: possibly, in the future, the passengers could finish the whole check-in and on boarding procedure using the biometric technology and GPS embedded in their mobile phone. In this way, more airports could afford adopting such technology as installing and maintaining the operating systems such as the “smart tunnel” in Dubai might be costly. Overall, thanks again for bringing this interesting topic! And I’m looking forward to seeing the biometric technology being used in more airports!
Hi Stéphanie! Thank you for the interesting article! As a passenger, I feel that implementations such as Smart Tunnel will significantly improve the experience during the airport. We have all experienced great delays when waiting in the airport security and flight checks. Biometrics will certainly streamline these procedures and significantly reduce the time required to complete them. However, I feel that the security issue remains a concern. Airports should thoroughly analyze its consequences before implementing biometrics as part of their customers’ journey so that customers feel more secure regarding the use of their data.
To reduce the time required for security checks and to make customers feel safer during the post COVID-19 era, the implementation of projects such as the Smart Tunnel will certainly increase during the following years. For example, AENA, leading Spanish Airport Operator, signed a contract to further develop its technological capabilities with ATOS, a technology provider, using biometrics in airport and flight control, AI, IoT, etc (Weiss, 2019). Yet, due to the COVID-19, the economic situation of airports has significantly deteriorated. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one of the busiest airports in Europe and the world, presented a 62.1% drop in the number of passengers (Royal Schiphol Group, 2020). Thus, I consider that airports will delay for a while the implementation of such projects.
Bibliography:
Focus on safe and responsible travel after sharp fall in traffic due to COVID-19 pandemic. 2020. Focus On Safe And Responsible Travel After Sharp Fall In Traffic Due To COVID-19 Pandemic. [online] Available at: [Accessed 10 October 2020].
Weiss, E., 2019. Biometrics News – Atos To Upgrade AENA Airports With Biometric Tech. [online] FindBiometrics. Available at: [Accessed 10 October 2020]