RAPID boost to travellers in Algarve |
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The world’s first semi-automatic passport control at Faro airport, Portugal – which came into action in August 2007 – is giving travellers with biometric ePassports the opportunity to skip queues at border control. The system, known as RAPID, uses facial recognition technology to perform the same passport checks as a human immigration officer in approximately 20 seconds. Travellers with ePassports can now walk up to the gate, hold their ePassport to the reader, step through to a designated yellow spot and look into the camera.
According to the UK Home Office, more than 80% of passengers travelling through Faro are British or Irish passport holders, and an estimated 3 million Brits visit Portugal every year. Speaking at this week’s Biometrics 2007 conference in London, Home Office minister Meg Hillier said: “The system in place at Faro is a sign of things to come, as countries all around the world adopt biometric technology to strengthen border controls and the security of their travel documents. “We in the UK are transforming our border protection with projects such as the BioDev trial at Gatwick, identifying individuals before they travel to the UK through a biometric visa, and from next year, introducing ID cards for foreign nationals in the UK. “The Identity and Passport Service has now issued some 8 million ePassports to British citizens since the successful switchover last year, on time and on budget, from the previous digital passport design.” |
