Dutch airline KLM has started a pilot project to see if facial recognition software would make boarding any easier and quicker for passengers.

The “biometric boarding” technology has been designed so that passengers do not have to show their passport or boarding pass at the gate.

The system has been installed at a single gate at the airline’s home airport of Schiphol in Amsterdam and is expected to be in place for at least three months.

Passengers will be asked to register at a kiosk beforehand, as they approach the gate for their flight.

KLM says all personal data will be erased after boarding and any information about the passenger will be erased from the kiosk after ten hours.

Under scrutiny will be the system’s user-friendliness, reliability and speed, KLM says.

The aim is to improve the boarding experience and, through an ongoing partnership with the airport, transform the facility into a “leading digital airport” by 2018.

Airport and airline officials will evaluate the results of the test after the three-month period and then consider whether to introduce a wider installation of the technology.