Brazil tests world’s first facial recognition shuttle service

For the first time in the world, passengers on the air shuttle service between the capitals of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro will participate in the simultaneous testing of this end-to-end technology without the need to present neither a boarding pass nor an identification document.

The Mface technology, developed by Idemia, captures facial biometrics in a fraction of seconds, providing even more agility to the boarding process, avoiding queues and delays.
The Project of the Ministry of Infrastructure, developed in partnership with Serpro and the Special Secretariat of Debureaucratization, Management and Digital Government of the Ministry of Economy, has already been tested at the airports of Florianópolis (SC), Salvador (BA), Santos Dumont (RJ) and Belo Horizonte (Confins).

After the approval of the pilot project, the Federal Government will move forward with actions to effectively implement the technology in major Brazilian airports. The technology aims at making the boarding process at airports more efficient, agile, and secure.

“It is the first time that tests are carried out simultaneously in two of our airports, thus establishing, in an unprecedented way, a 100% biometric air shuttle between RJ / SP, which has the fifth-largest movement in the world.” Said the executive secretary of MInfra, Marcelo Sampaio.

“Embarque + Seguro combines biometric validation and data analysis, ensuring an accurate, agile and secure validation of the identity of passengers, who can thus travel with more comfort and tranquility. The solution complies with the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) and is premised on security in the processing of personal data against misuse or unauthorised use.” Commented Gilen Barreto, the president of Serpro.

“The air shuttle’s Embarque + Seguro unites two essential items that streamline the boarding processes, which are safety and ease for the passenger and the entire civil aviation system.” Explained the president of Infraero, Brigadier Paes de Barros.
“The latest Global Passengers Research conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says that 70% of interviewees are willing to share their biometry for identification purposes during the boarding process. Our global expertise contributes to meeting society’s need to fly again.

To participate in the first air shuttle with an end-to-end fully digitised boarding system, in both airports, is an important milestone in our history.” Commented Rodrigo Costa, PSI business development director at Idemia LATAM. When checking in at the airport, the passenger of Azul Linhas Aéreas is invited to participate in the project. If the passenger agrees, then a message is sent to the cell phone informed in the application, requesting authorization to obtain the passenger’s data, including the social security number and a photo. Upon consent, the airline attendant, using the application developed by Serpro for this purpose, performs the biometric validation of the citizen, comparing the data and the photo taken on the spot with the government databases.

After being validated, the passenger is released to enter the departure hall and the aircraft passing through biometric control points, whose cameras perform the passenger’s identification without the need for the user to present any document or boarding pass.
In the pilot project, indicators such as queue time reduction, access to the departure hall and aircraft are measured, in addition to operating costs. With the tests, it is expected that airport security increases, as facial recognition allows an accurate identification of passengers.

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