Miami International Airport now offers wholly biometric facial recognition passport screening at its newly renovated Concourse E, which serves international arrivals. This is the first facility in the US to use biometric screening exclusively.

The full-scale adoption of facial recognition passport clearance follows a pilot program launched in November of last year, conducted with support from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). MIA reports that the biometric systems allow screening of as many as 10 passengers were processed per minute.   

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, chairperson of the County’s Economic Development and Tourism Committee said of the installation:

“Aside from welcoming 96 percent of all visitors to Miami, our airport also welcomes 70 percent of international passengers to Florida. With improvements like the new Concourse E passport clearance facility, MIA continues to deliver on its commitment to providing a world-class experience for travelers.”

US Customs and Border Patrol executive assistant commissioner Todd Owen says of the agency’s participation:

“CBP’s core mission is to safeguard America’s borders. We must balance our need to increase security while still expediting travel. Passenger volumes are on the rise here at the Miami International Airport. In order to meet the growing challenge of balancing traveler volumes and security, CBP has partnered with industry stakeholders to leverage biometric technology and systems.”

MIA has also introduced Global Entry Kiosks at the airport and Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app clearance for select flights.

A number of airlines including JetBlue and KLM have carried out facial recognition trials to ease boarding.

Finnair has also trialled the technology for check-in at Helsinki Airport.

Related reading:

Facial scanning at airports: convenient but is it legal?