Facial recognition deployed in China airports

An increasing number of Chinese airports are now using facial recognition systems to help quicken their security checks for the convenience of travellers.

A total of 557 security channels at 62 airports, including Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, have been equipped with the auxiliary system, according to the Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, developer of the system.

 The system has proved its efficiency and accuracy after being used by about 80 per cent of the country's airports whose annual passenger throughput exceeds 30 million people, reports Xinhua news agency.

 "It takes less than one second for the system to match a passenger's face with their ID photo, while checking the validity of the credentials," said Shi Yu, head of the institute.

With the system, passengers can avoid check-in formalities and go directly to the security channels, where cameras capture images of their faces and scan their ID cards or passports to verify their identity.