Biometric facial recognition exit system deployed at Washington-Dulles Int’l Airport

A new facial recognition biometric exit system was recently deployed to the Washington-Dulles International Airport to be used for one daily flight from the United States to Dubai, according to officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The biometric technology uses flight manifests to build flight-specific photo galleries to compare pictures to the travel documents each traveler provides to the airline. CBP officers then compare live photos against the document in the photo gallery to ensure that each traveler is the true bearer of the document.

In cases involving U.S. citizens, travelers are deemed out-of-scope for biometric exit purposes and the photo is discarded shortly after verification.

The recent deployment at Dulles builds upon a similar installation at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in June 2016.

“CBP has been working closely with airline and airport stakeholders to test biometric exit technology and as a result has developed a viable exit solution based on facial recognition,” Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said. “This process, now being deployed to Washington Dulles International Airport, enhances our security while continuing to facilitate legitimate travel.”

JetBlue recently announced its intent to test a new self-boarding process as part of ongoing trials to implement a biometric exit process. The program, which is scheduled to begin sometime this month, will involve flights from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba. Passengers can opt to put away their boarding passes and instead have a photo taken of themselves prior to entering the plane.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry.