Singapore Changi Airport leveraging biometrics, considering wearable tech

Changi Airport Group (CAG) is considering the use of biometric-based single passenger tokens and wearable technology at Singapore Changi Airport’s new Terminal 4, which is scheduled to open in 2017, according to a report by Future Travel Experience.

The move comes a few months after CAG announced it will install facial recognition technology at Singapore’s Changi Airport’s new Terminal 4 to eliminate the need for security staff to manually identity passengers at various check points.

“With the possibility of a single biometric token looking set to become a reality in the near future, we are indeed exploring how it can be adopted at Changi Airport – to further improve the overall facilitation of passengers but without compromising on security outcomes,” said Steve Lee, chief information officer and senior vice president of technology at CAG. “A key success factor would be the strong collaborative spirit among all agencies at the airport.”

The biometric-based single passenger token under consideration would be similar to what KLM is testing out at Aruba Airport.

Lee, who will provide more details about CAG’s biometric plans in his presentation at FTE Asia EXPO 2015, said the group is also currently trialing wearable technology, but “there are no concrete use cases for full implementation yet”.

That being said, Lee is confident that wearables can be deployed to improve the passenger experience once the group finds the appropriate use cases.

“When wearable technologies are integrated seamlessly with mobile services, the passenger experience can be significantly enhanced,” he said. “For example, by delivering timely and relevant notifications to passengers about their flight status, guiding them in wayfinding or highlighting events or promotions around them. This will give passengers not just the wow factor but also the extra personal touch that a mobile application alone cannot deliver.”

Article Topics

airports  |  Asia  |  aviation security  |  biometric token  |  biometrics  |  identity verification  |  wearables