United Kingdom begins rollout of passport free contactless airport egates

Passengers arriving in the United Kingdom can now pass through airport e-gates without presenting a passport, the government announced on Tuesday. East Midlands Airport became the first location to introduce the contactless system, according to the BBC. [1]

The Home Office plans to roll out the technology to all United Kingdom airports by early 2027, the BBC reported. The system takes a photograph as passengers approach the gate and compares the image against travel, immigration, and passport records before opening the barrier automatically. [1]

Officials stated that testing demonstrated the contactless gates operate up to 25% faster than traditional passport checks, according to the BBC. [1]

Biometric passports contain microchips and antennas that store personal details and authentication data using public key infrastructure, which helps prevent forgery. [2]