Riyadh Airports Company (RAC), which operates and manages King Khalid International Airport (KKIA), has successfully run trials of Smart Path, a facial recognition technology, in partnership with air transport tech company SITA.

The technology, which was tested at check-in counters and boarding gates recognizes the passengers’ digital identity when stepping up to the camera. The facial image is directly linked to the passengers’ physical passport and travel documents at check-in. This allows them to be identified at security or boarding by simply taking a picture.

This trial is part of RAC’s effort towards digitally transforming King Khalid International Airport into a smart airport in the future in compliance with the standards of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

RAC’s teams are currently working on the preparations of a self-service assessment project combining multiple other self-service technologies, which are anticipated to increase passengers’ satisfaction and improve their travel experience.

Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Maghlouth, CEO of Riyadh Airports Company said: “As our strategy at Riyadh Airports is to cope with the innovational shift of international travel trends and passenger’s needs, we have conducted the Digital Path trial as part of the airport’s future digital road map and our efforts to digitize passengers’ journeys.”

RAC’s team also spoke about how they seek every potential opportunity of technology to improve operational processes and travel procedures. This requires adopting new strategies and using the latest technologies to reduce time taken to complete the procedures, with the aim of adding a positive impact to our performance and passengers' satisfaction levels.

Hani El Assaad, President Middle East & Africa, SITA, said: “We’re excited to partner with Riyadh Airports Company to trial the latest cutting-edge biometric solutions in the region. The airport of the future will leverage technology that enables safe, seamless, and easy travel every step of the way. This successful Proof of Concept highlights the power of SITA Smart Path biometrics to deliver a fluid journey where a passenger’s face becomes their boarding pass, from check in to boarding.”

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