British passport holders returning to the UK will soon be able to pass through e-gates at 13 airports without presenting their passports, thanks to new contactless technology. The system uses enhanced facial recognition to capture a returning passenger's face and cross-reference it with the passport photograph already stored on file.
Faster Security Checks and Shorter Queues
The upgraded technology, being introduced at e-gates across 13 UK airports, is designed to speed up security checks and dramatically cut queues by up to 25 per cent, according to the Home Office. It also aims to provide British passport holders with a smoother journey home, removing the need to search for documents or face lengthy border control queues.
Phil Douglas, director general of Border Force, said: "This is a win for travellers coming to our brilliant country. By using state-of-the-art technology, we are making journeys smoother and faster, all while fully maintaining the UK’s robust border security. Our digital transformation also builds on our work this summer to extend eGates to children aged eight and above, making life a little easier for families."
How the New System Works
To make the process more efficient, airlines are reported to forward passport photos of their British passengers to border control at each airport on the day of arrival, which are then uploaded onto the e-gates system. Douglas added: "Because we know who's coming and can load up that gallery of who is arriving, it's not a one in 60 million check, it's a one in tens of thousands check [because the system only needs to check against the passports of passengers travelling on that particular day]."
The phased introduction of the revamped system began on Tuesday, 6 October, and will initially launch at Birmingham and East Midlands airports over the coming weeks. By early next year, the new 'contactless borders' will be rolled out across other UK airports already equipped with e-gates.
Full List of 13 UK Airports Impacted
- Birmingham Airport
- Bristol Airport
- Cardiff Airport
- East Midlands Airport
- Edinburgh Airport
- Glasgow Airport
- London City Airport
- London Gatwick Airport
- London Heathrow Airport
- London Luton Airport
- London Stansted Airport
- Manchester Airport
- Newcastle International Airport
Steve Griffiths, managing director of East Midlands Airport, said: "We’re delighted to be the first UK airport to have contactless eGates introduced by Border Force. As an airport committed to providing an effortless travel experience, we welcome any technological innovation that can help to safely make our customers’ journeys smoother, swifter and simpler. This complements changes that we carried out to our immigration hall recently to help improve the flow of arriving passengers through the area."
While the system will initially be introduced for British passport holders using e-gates at UK airports, there are proposals to extend it to other nationalities holding biometric passports, including those from Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and the US. Officials hope it will streamline re-entry into the UK and prevent disruptions at border controls.
Passengers who cannot be identified at the e-gate under the new system would need to revert to the existing method and scan their passports instead. Should this also prove unsuccessful, they will be directed to a staffed border control desk where their passport will be manually verified.
