From Passports to Faces: Global Shift Towards Biometric Air Travel

The use of biometrics at airports — such as facial recognition, iris scans or fingerprint verification — is increasingly widespread and delivers significant benefits for passengers, airports and airlines globally.

That said, there are also important caveats and challenges to consider, industry analysts say.

Recently, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) noted that biometric adoption is accelerating globally, highlighting the key findings of its 2025 Global Passenger Survey (GPS).

The use of biometrics and digital identity is expanding to enable more seamless airport processing, and travellers like it, IATA said. Its utilisation (at airports) is expanding, and passenger satisfaction with biometrics has reached its highest level yet.

The IATA survey revealed that half of passengers (50%) have used biometrics at some point in their airport journey, up from 46% in 2024.

Usage is most common at security (44%), exit immigration (41%), and entry immigration (35%). Notably, biometric use has risen by nearly 20 percentage points since 2022.

Passengers who have used biometrics report high levels of satisfaction with 85% saying they are happy with the experience.

74% of travellers say they would be willing to share their biometric information if it means they can skip showing a passport or boarding pass at checkpoints like check-in, security, border control, and boarding.

Privacy remains a concern, but there is room to build trust; 42% of passengers who are currently unwilling to share their biometric info say they would reconsider if data privacy was assured.

IATA’s Senior Vice-President (Operations, Safety and Security) Nick Careen noted: “Passengers are already using biometrics for different stages of their journey, from check-in to boarding. But to make the international travel experience fully digital, governments need to start issuing digital passports and enable their secure recognition across borders.

“When that becomes common practice, travellers, governments, and airlines will all see the benefits of digital identity with an experience that is even more convenient, efficient, and secure.”

Biometric systems have seen to enable faster, smoother processing and enhanced security and identity assurance, resulting in improved overall travel experience.

They facilitate identity verification in seconds rather than minutes, reducing wait times at check-in, security screening, immigration and boarding.

Some airports report up to 30% faster processing due to biometric self-service and fewer manual document checks.

Because passengers don’t always need to present a passport/boarding pass at every step (once enrolled), the journey feels more seamless and less stressful, industry analysts say.

Biometric data (face, iris, fingerprint) is unique to each person, making impersonation, document fraud or identity theft harder compared to relying solely on passports or IDs.

By matching a traveller’s presence through multiple airport touch-points (check‐in, bag‐drop, and boarding), airports can maintain a higher integrity of identity verification.

For many travellers, biometrics create a more convenient, “touchless” experience that aligns well with modern expectations.

During crowded or peak times, reduced queues and friction make travel less tiring, especially for frequent flyers, families, or those with mobility issues.

There is also the potential benefit of more dwell time in retail or food and beverage zones, when processing is faster—meaning better airport experience overall!

That said, using biometric data involves personal information that is sensitive. There are concerns over how it’s stored, how long it’s retained, who has access and how it’s used.

Also, some travellers may feel uneasy about enrolment, opting in/out, or that biometric data might be used for purposes beyond border or airport control.

While long‐term benefits often outweigh costs, the initial setup of biometric infrastructure (cameras, kiosks, software and integration) is significant.

Analysts say achieving “end-to-end” biometric coverage (check-in, bag drop, security, immigration, and boarding) is more complex than just a single touch-point!