An automated biometric identification system using facial recognition technology will be implemented in six Thai airports later this year to let passengers show their physical ID only once as reported by the Bangkok Post.
The system will be ready for domestic passengers on Nov 1 and for international passengers on Dec 1, according to the Airport Authority of Thailand’s director Kirati Kitmanawat.
There are two ways for travellers to go from the baggage drop to the boarding gate without passport checks and boarding passes.
In the first way, people with biometric-enabled passports can allow the system to access their identification information when they check in at the counter via a boarding pass machine or self-check-in at the airport.
Alternatively, passengers checking in online can select the airline they are flying with, select “enrolment” and scan the barcode from the boarding pass, then insert their passport or ID card and scan the face as the final step. It is not known yet if this applies for those without biometric-enabled passports – this was reported in The Straits Times.
Both methods of registration store the passenger’s facial data and travel information. Each registration is for only one journey.
The six airports that will use the system are Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang International Airport, Chiang Mai International Airport, Mae Fah Luang/Chiang Rai International Airport, Phuket International Airport and Hat Yai International Airport.
Passenger numbers using the airports in September and October have risen almost 20% from the same period last year, and are expected to be still higher next year, Mr Kirati said.
Thailand recorded over 26 million visits, from January to September 2024, a 30% improvement over the 20 million trips recorded during the same nine-month period in 2023 according to the Ministry Tourism & Sports. The Ministry aims to reach its targeted 35 to 37 million visits in 2024.
Singapore the first country to implement the passport-less immigration system on such a large scale. Since the full rollout at Changi Airport on September 30, 2024, nearly 1.5 million travellers have passed through immigration without needing to present their passports.
