Turkish Airlines tests facial recognition tech at Boston and Miami airports

According to Cirium data, Turkish Airlines operates over 500 monthly flights to the United States across 14 destinations. The routes include services from Boston with Airbus A330-300 and A350-900 aircraft and flights from Miami using Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-9 models.

The facial recognition system requires passengers to stand before a machine that scans their face for a few seconds. It compares this live image with passport information stored on US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data servers. This eliminates the need for manual passport checks by gate agents.

SITA, a global air transport IT provider, developed this expedited boarding technology. It was first introduced at Miami International Airport (MIA) in February 2019 during a Lufthansa flight departure. According to US CBP, this verification process “takes less than two seconds with a 99-percent matching rate.” Diana Einterz, SITA President for the Americas, commented: “We have worked closely with the US CBP, airlines and airports to design a seamless biometric exit solution that meets the needs of all parties.”

Miami International Airport also implemented America’s first all-biometric entry facility in February 2018 for international arrivals using facial recognition technology. SITA highlighted: “The facility...was chosen from among 80 nominations worldwide as the 2018 International Airport Review Award winner in the Passenger Experience and Seamless Travel category.”

Beyond boarding procedures, SITA's technology aids other airport operations like check-in processes. Taipei Taoyuan International Airport recently adopted these technologies for its check-in kiosks at Terminals 1 and 2. SITA stated: “With the new check-in and baggage handling processes, Taipei Taoyuan International Airport will reduce wait times and improve overall airport efficiency.”