Politics
Passport-free facial recognition e-gates launch at UK airports
October 6, 2026 at 06:30 PM
Coverage
2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 6 hours
The UK government has launched a contactless facial-recognition system allowing arriving passengers to pass airport e-gates without showing a passport, beginning at East Midlands Airport.
- East Midlands Airport became the first UK airport to offer the system on Tuesday, with rollout to all UK airports expected by early 2027.
- The Home Office said the gates photograph arriving passengers and check their faces against immigration, travel and passport data before opening automatically.
- Testing showed the contactless system is up to 25% faster than using a passport, according to Home Office officials.
- Border Force director general Phil Douglas said the technology secures borders and frees officers to focus on crime, protection and drugs.