Airport biometric deployments to grow at 27 CAGR as market takes off

Apr 1, 2019 | Chris Burt

Airport biometric deployments to grow at 27 CAGR as market takes off

The number of biometric touchpoints at airports will increase by 27 percent CAGR between this year and 2022, but will hardly dent the total addressable market, according to new research from Acuity Market Intelligence.

Airports across the globe are investing to rapidly increase deployments of smart technologies such as artificial intelligence and biometrics, but this represents the preliminary stage of a far-reaching industry commitment to transform airport travel, according to Acuity. Despite the impressive growth rate, the touchpoints for check-in, bag drop, security, and boarding gates will make up only 17 percent penetration of the total addressable market in 2022.

“As airport AI-enhanced biometrics become mainstream, so too will consumer comfort and preference for the convenience of the experience,” explains Maxine Most, Principal at Acuity Market Intelligence. “This will change passenger expectations and drive demand for similar solutions within airports and across the entire travel sector from cruise ships and car rentals to train stations and ferry terminals.”

“Smarter, seamless travel is no longer a vision for the future,” Most continues. “It is happening now all over the world. In the past month alone, reports from Asia indicate massive uptake.”

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director of Passenger Experience and Facilitation Pierre Charbonneau is participating in a panel discussion on the experiences of companies that have adopted facial recognition and other biometric technologies for travelers as part of Passenger Experience Week, a partner event to AIX 2019, Flight Global reports. With media attention increasing, the more education and information stakeholders are given, the better their understanding of the technologies’ potential benefits and challenges, he says.

“This industry has grown over the years in designing solutions based on heavy regulations – developed internally by sometimes slow, bureaucratic and costly IT divisions – resulting in large and inflexible technology infrastructures,” Charbonneau adds. “In parallel, new entrants have not been constrained by legacy systems and processes, and have been able to make much better use of new technologies to offer simpler and more efficient processes for themselves and their customers. Legacy airlines must continue to look at new technologies and develop the right business case to justify these investments.”

Acuity has previously forecasted the global airport biometrics market at $1.3 billion over the next five years, and new deployments are being announced frequently all over the world.