Incheon Int'l Airport to begin face scans at departure gates

Incheon International Airport Corp. will release a mobile app, Monday, enabling travelers to register their faces in order to hasten departure procedures. The system will eliminate the need for people using the app to present passports or boarding passes. The operator of the country's largest airport will officially begin the facial recognition service at the end of this month. Those who want to use the service can download the ICN Smartpass app from Apple's App Store or the Google Play store, and register the necessary information. The IIAC said many airports around the world have already introduced non-face-to-face services following the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Singapore Changi Airport and Tokyo's Narita International Airport use facial recognition as an identification method. A survey announced last year by the IATA showed that 88% of respondents were satisfied with procedures using their biometric information at airports, and 75% preferred the use of the biometric information to passports or boarding passes.<br/>