Orlando International (MCO) has become the first airport in the United States to use facial recognition technology in automated passport control kiosks.
The technology, supplied by SITA, is part of new initiative from U.S. Customs and Border Protection requiring the kiosks to be able to verify people’s identities by matching their faces to the biometric record in their e-passports.
“More and more, passengers arriving in the U.S.A. have the opportunity to use automated kiosks to make their way through the customs and immigration checks,” says Paul Houghton, president of SITA Americas. “These kiosks are a welcome addition to arrival areas and have helped reduce lines by as much as 40 percent.”
The APC kiosks have been installed in numerous U.S. airports throughout the past year. Customs and Border Protection added the requirement for facial recognition capability in June.
