Panasonic to supply biometric ABC gates for Japan airports as FTE Global 2019 kicks off

Panasonic Corporation is providing more of its biometric facial recognition gates to new airports in Japan for use in new departure procedures for foreign travelers, the company has announced.

The new order will bring the total number of automated gates from the company used across Japan to 203, with 123 units used for foreign nationals.

Automated facial recognition gates from Panasonic have been deployed at five major airports in Japan, with 137 going into operation since October, 2017. The company cites Ministry of Justice statistics indicating that 80 percent of Japanese travelers use Panasonic’s facial recognition gates. The new units will be deployed at seven airports, including some which already use Panasonic e-gates.

Panasonic says its technology provides improved usability and eliminates factors that cause false rejections.

A new report from SITA, meanwhile, shows that 68 percent of all travelers will be “digital travellers” by 2025, used to managing most aspects of their daily lives through their mobile phones, and with accompanying expectations.

This demographic shift will be the most important influence on the passenger solutions strategies of airports and airlines, according to 83 percent of those organizations’ IT leaders. SITA CEO Barbara Dalibard says that airports and airlines will have to improve operational efficiency and collaborate with each other and other stakeholders to deliver the expected experiences with various technologies, including biometrics.

“To truly benefit from biometric technology, we as an industry need to work together to develop and agree a digital identity that not only provides passengers control over their identity but is accepted in any airport and across borders, much like passports are today,” comments Dalibard. “This cannot be done in isolation and requires a high degree of collaboration to make it a reality.”

The Future Travel Experience Global 2019 conference takes place this week in Las Vegas, and Collins Aerospace’s Connected Aviation Today suggests that misconceptions, data security, and integration issues are among the key challenges for biometrics adoption in the sector.

Collins Aerospace Senior Director of Marketing, Product Management, and Strategy Tony Chapman will participate in a panel during the conference titled “Leaders Debate – Can new technology and alliances between airports and airlines revolutionize operational performance, and be the driving force behind operating model transformations?”

Biometric deployments in airports are expected to grow by 27 percent CAGR over the next few years.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  aviation security  |  biometric exit  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  eGates  |  facial recognition  |  Japan  |  Panasonic  |  passenger processing  |  SITA