Travelers headed to Singapore in 2024 may soon be able to
enjoy passport-free travel, after the island nation passed an amendment to an
immigration bill this week. This allows the move toward additional biometric
sensors to go forward at Changi Airport, widely regarded as one of the world’s
top (and busiest) airports.
Currently, Dubai allows passport-free travel to some
travelers, and is rolling out a system in Terminal 3 for its Emirates
passengers. These types of changes are being implemented thanks to advancements
in biometric technology, allowing for airlines and airports to make everything
from baggage drops to immigration more efficient and paperless.
Modern passports that have been issued by many countries
over the last 20 years have become digital in nature—they include an embedded
microprocessor chip containing the person’s relevant data. And vast
improvements in facial recognition software also ups the biometrics game for
the airline industry.
At Sinagpore’s Changi Airport, digital biometric scanners
will be installed at different portions of the facility, to make travel run
more smoothly. Initially, the change will only affect passengers departing from
Changi.
“Biometrics will be used to create a single token of
authentication that will be employed at various automated touchpoints, from
bag-drop to immigration and boarding. This will reduce the need for passengers
to repeatedly present their travel documents at these touchpoints, allowing for
more seamless and convenient processing,” said Josephine Teo, Minister for
Communications and Information & Second Minister for Home Affairs.
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