Biometrics Can Close a Key Vulnerability in Airport Security

Airport security is a complex and multifaceted challenge. Major hubs have enormous physical and digital footprints and must safeguard passengers, staff and infrastructure from threats that include terrorism, crime, cyberattacks and safety incidents.

Given the intense media interest in aviation and the fact that passengers can instantly post videos to social media, even minor issues where there is no safety risk can go viral and create reputational damage for airports and airlines.

One of the main challenges for airports today is access control, ensuring that everyone in a space has the right and need to be there. Terminal buildings are uniquely complex environments that feature many areas with varying access privileges. These range from semi-public spaces like check-in and arrivals to highly sensitive areas such as control rooms and back offices for customs and border checkpoints. In 2024, the TSA reported that more than 300 people had attempted to bypass security and gain access to secure areas in the previous year, highlighting the scale of the challenge.

Airports need highly sophisticated systems to manage access, but many still rely on outdated technology in a crucial area: the access points used by staff.   

The Boom in Biometrics

In passenger-facing areas, biometric technology is becoming common. From TSA checkpoints to boarding gates, passport control and even lounge doors, facial authentication is being deployed throughout airports to provide rapid and secure identity confirmation.

At boarding gates, biometric technology can reduce the time to enplane passengers by around 30%. Not to mention, it has high acceptance among air travelers. According to IATA’s 2024 Global Passenger Survey, almost half of passengers have now used biometrics at the airport and 84% were satisfied with the experience.   

But when it comes to the access points used by staff and crew, facial authentication is rarely used. Employee access at most airports is still based around ID badges that must be swiped to open doors. Access to sensitive areas like the sterile zone is usually paired with some kind of biometrics. But these are often slow and cumbersome legacy systems that use fingerprint detection or iris scans. Meanwhile, landside office areas can frequently be accessed by anyone in possession of an ID badge.

A Critical Weakness

The shortcomings of badge-based security are well known. ID badges can be lost or stolen. Staff members also borrow one another’s cards and there can be a gap between an employee leaving and their badge being deactivated.

These challenges are multiplied in complex airport settings where tens of thousands of people are employed by hundreds of entities, including airlines, retailers, government agencies, maintenance contractors and the airport itself.

More Seamless Security

One solution is to extend the use of facial authentication to staff access points. Modern biometric systems and devices can be placed at eye level next to doors. These systems use facial authentication by comparing the presented face against a digitally encrypted biometric template that is unique to each enrolled user, granting access only if the match is confirmed. In some settings, the technology can be so seamless that authorized users barely have to break their stride. And to increase security, it can be paired with swiping a badge for multifactor authentication. 

Because facial authentication often uses sensors and cameras, select systems can also be used to detect tailgating, or when an unauthorized person follows someone in. It is one of the leading ways bad actors gain access to secure zones. 

Well-designed systems also operate under robust privacy frameworks. Safeguards can include storing encrypted digital templates of enrolled users’ faces rather than photos and linking these templates only to an employee badge number rather than a name. In this way, no personally identifiable information, photos or biometric data is ever stored or shared by the access device.

A central consideration for airports in any technology change is the deployment process. Switchovers from one platform to another are difficult and complex in a 24/7 operating environment where gaps in coverage are not an option. In many cases, however, biometric technology can be integrated into current access control systems without the need to replace existing infrastructure. This means that upgrades can be made without requiring system-wide downtime or temporary operating procedures. 

With passenger numbers expected to double in the next two decades, airports are rightly investing in infrastructure and technology to meet that demand. But the increase in travelers will also require airport and airline workforces to grow. Aviation training company CAE forecasts that an extra 1.4 million workers will be needed globally by 2034. The deployment of facial authentication technology at staff entry points can enhance security while ensuring that workers are not held up in lines by outdated access control technologies. It reduces the risk of unauthorized access, streamlines operations and helps ensure airports are better equipped to meet the challenges of the future.

By embracing facial authentication now, airports can close critical security gaps and future-proof operations without slowing down the employees who keep them running.