Spain: Iberia tests boarding using facial recognition

The airline Iberia is launching a biometric boarding process at Barcelona and Madrid airports. This is available to adult Iberia Plus participants who have a Spanish ID card or an EU passport.

The carrier expects that the new procedure will speed up the boarding process and minimize delays. Iberia has introduced facial recognition boarding service on its most famous route, the Air Shuttle, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Customers traveling between Madrid and Barcelona and vice versa can pass through the security filter and the boarding gate without having to take out their mobile phone and/or present the required documents.

This service is available to all customers who have an Iberia Plus card. To log in, they must access the private area of ​​the Iberia app and follow the following steps: enter their personal details, take a photo of their ID, scan the document chip and take a photo of their face with their mobile phone. This process only needs to be done once, and then the customer only needs to link their boarding pass to the biometric profile each time they travel. It is also possible to complete registration at the airport kiosks or through the AENA application.

The only requirements to register for the facial recognition service are to be at least 18 years old and to have a Spanish DNI (DNI 3.0. with NFC technology to be able to communicate with the mobile phone) or an electronic passport from the European Union.

At Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, Iberia has six gates with facial recognition: J46, J50, J52, J54, J56 and J58. There are also 2 kiosks in the check-in area (Air Shuttle and Business) and four biometric doors in the security filter (two in the main entrance, one in the Air Shuttle and one in the Fast Track).

At Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport, the airline has a biometric boarding gate (A02), two gates at the security filter and a kiosk in the check-in area. Facial recognition boarding does not affect the boarding groups, which remain in their usual order. Upon arrival at the gate, each customer can choose whether they prefer traditional boarding pass access or biometric access (provided they are registered in the program and have linked their boarding pass to their biometric identity during the check-in process).