You won’t need passports to fly out of this airport from 2024. Here’s why

Travelling without a passport is becoming a reality. Starting in 2024, Singapore’s Changi Airport is all set to introduce automated immigration clearance, allowing passengers to depart the city-state without a passport. This will be possible with the help of biometric data, say officials. Let’s take a closer look. Also read: Finland is first to test digital passports: How this could change travel Automated immigration clearance According to ANI, the announcement of going passport-free was made by Singapore’s Communications minister Josephine Teo during a parliament session on Monday, during which several changes to the country’s Immigration Act were passed. She said, “Singapore will be one of the first few countries in the world to introduce automated, passport-free immigration clearance.” Notably, biometric technology, along with facial recognition software, is already in use to some extent in Changi Airport at automated lanes at immigration checkpoints. However, the upcoming changes will “reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at touch points and allow for more seamless and convenient processing,” CNN quoted Teo as saying. As per the press release, biometrics will be used to create a “single token of authentication” that will be employed at various automated touchpoints – from bag drops to immigration clearance and boarding – eliminating the need for physical travel documents at these touchpoints. One of the main provisions in the revisions to their Immigration Act states that the minister of home affairs must approve the transmission of passenger and crew information to the airport operator. This will only be used in specified situations, such as luggage drops and passenger tracing at Changi Airport. By enabling end-to-end biometric clearance, the customer avoids having to repeatedly present their passport, ticket, and boarding pass during the boarding process at Changi Airport. Passports will, however, still be required for many countries outside of Singapore that do not offer passport-free clearance, she stressed. Also read: How powerful is India's passport? The world’s best airport Singapore’s Changi Airport, frequently named the best and busiest airport in the world, is served by more than 100 airlines that travel to 400 destinations in roughly 100 countries and territories across the globe. In June, it processed 5.12 million passenger movements, exceeding 5 million for the first time since the COVID-19 epidemic hit in January 2020, according to ANI. There are currently four terminals at the airport, which is a destination unto itself. In order to accommodate the increasing number of travellers, it is planned to expand by building a fifth terminal. [caption id=“attachment_13154132” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The airport is a destination in itself and currently has four terminals. Pexels[/caption] Changi Airport is projecting a return to pre-pandemic levels of passengers and air traffic and expressed hopes that the upcoming biometric system will help make passenger flows smoother. “Our immigration systems must be able to manage this high and growing volume of travellers efficiently and provide a positive clearance experience while ensuring our security,” Teo said. Also read: What is skiplagging, the new air travel hack that airlines hate? Finland tests digital passports In August this year, Finland announced that it would be the first country to test digital travel documents. In collaboration with Finnair, the Finnish police, and airport firm Finavia, the trial will run through February of the following year. As a trial, it is currently only available for Finnair passengers travelling to or from London, Manchester, or Edinburgh. According to information released by the Finnish Border Guard, persons who are interested in participating must download the FIN DTC Pilot digital travel document app, register with the police, and provide information to the Finnish Border Guard four to 36 hours before a flight to the UK. Authorities have clarified that a participant will only need to register with the police one and after registration, the person could travel to UK and return without any hassles. Explaining further, the Finnish Border Guard noted that the digital passport, known as Digital Travel Credentials (DTC), is a digital version of the physical passport and is equally reliable. Seamless travel is the future Global demand for seamless travel is growing. [caption id=“attachment_13154152” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Finland has also announced that it would be the first country to test digital travel documents. Reuters[/caption] Many experts are predicting that the future of travel may soon revolve around biometric identity. The biometric “Smart Gates” tunnels, which employ facial recognition to authenticate travellers’ IDs in as little as five seconds, were launched in 2018 at Dubai International Airport. Instead of using real passports, travellers are also permitted to authenticate themselves using their fingerprints or face scans. Facial recognition technology is already in use in some capacity at airports around the world, including those at Hong Kong International Airport, Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Indira Gandhi International in Delhi, London Heathrow, and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Travellers can use safe digital copies of their passports on mobile phones thanks to digital IDs that are consistent with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards in Aruba. Major US airlines including American Airlines, United, and Delta have been testing biometric check-in, bag drops, and boarding gates at a few airports for the past few years. With inputs from agencies