Perth and Auckland airports speed up transition to biometric passenger processing
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# Perth and Auckland airports speed up transition to biometric passenger processing
Sep 12, 2025, 3:24 pm EDT | Masha Borak
Categories Biometrics News | Border and Port Security | Facial Recognition
Perth Airport in Australia and Auckland Airport in New Zealand have revealed ambitious plans to improve airport travel by automating the departure process with face biometrics and check-in kiosks.
Perth Airport is looking to create the first fully automated biometric departure process in Australia using technology from Amadeus. The air travel hub will add almost 100 new biometric check-in kiosks and replace nearly 40 traditional check-in counters with biometric bag drop units made by the travel technology provider.
Amadeus has been working with the airport since 2015. The duo started experimenting with biometrics through a series of trials in 2022.
“Using platform technology and security measures like tokenization, airports can create digital representations of a passenger’s data,” says Sarah Samuel, the company’s senior vice president for AirOps in the APAC region. “Once that’s achieved, all it takes is a couple of seconds to perform a facial scan to validate the passenger at bag drop or boarding.”
Amadeus recently announced deals with airports in Malaysia, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia. The company reported new customers across all business lines in the first half of this year, and major research and development investments. Its subsidiary Vision-Box is also contributing with an agreement announced during H1 2025 to provide biometrics for Miami’s massive new cruise terminal.
## Auckland Airport upgrade features biometric tech
New Zealand’s Auckland Airport (AKL) is also undergoing a major update that will see it future-proofed for biometric processing, including facial recognition and digital travel credentials.
The facility plans to replace 60 traditional check-in desks with self-service kiosks and automated bag drops over the next four years. The technology has