Travellers passing through two of Britain’s main airports are to have their faces scanned as part of a pilot scheme.
Thousands of passengers using Manchester Airport have already been involved in the security trial, which is also intended to cut congestion delays by expediting progress through terminals.
The average customs official takes about 20 seconds to screen a passenger, whereas the new machines require just 13 to 15 seconds to fulfil the same task.
They work by taking an instant photograph of a passport holder, which is then electronically matched against the 2D digital picture in their documents to confirm their identity.
If the 11 machines installed in Manchester Airport prove successful the technology will be rolled out nation-wide, but critics have already voiced concerns about their reliability.
Guy Herbert, the general secretary of the No2ID campaign, complained to The Telegraph: “This is security theatre – a photo op for the bank holiday traveller.”
He added: “All the trials have been run on facial recognition almost everywhere have been dismal failures. To suggest that this is any security benefit is a joke for anyone following the technology.”
