A New Airport Experience Awaits Travelers in Thailand: Here’s What to Expect

01.11.2024 - 09:43 / skift.com / Peden Doma Bhutia

Thailand is looking to streamline its air travel experience. Beginning Friday, domestic travelers would be able to breeze through airport checkpoints through Thailand’s new biometric facial recognition system. By December 1, this technology is expected to be extended to international travelers, helping them bypass traditional ID checks throughout their journey.

This service will be debuting at 6 major airports in the country, including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai, Phuket, and Hat Yai airports.

The concept is similar to DigiYatra, India’s airport entry system that uses facial recognition. However, in India it is yet to be implemented for international travel. 

Through this, Thailand’s aviation authority — Airports of Thailand (AOT) said it looks to modernize its aviation infrastructure, cut processing times, and improve the overall passenger experience. 

The Airports of Thailand is launching a new automated biometric ID system using AI-powered facial recognition technology for passenger identification across 6 airports for domestic travelers from 1 Nov and INTL travelers from 1 Dec, with consent needed for biometric data usage. pic.twitter.com/fjBEXqWKvH

Talking about this initiative, AOT President Kirati Kitmanawat, said, “We are committed to modernizing facilities to meet passengers’ demand and offer impressive travel experiences.”

Kitmanawat said he expects this would reduce the time travelers spend on personal identity verification, allowing them to explore the airports more.

Addressing privacy concerns, it has been highlighted that the system would collect passengers’ biometric data and travel itineraries, but every registration would only be used per journey. 

“The efforts to improve the passenger experience with technology will deliver their best if they are aligned with global initiatives to modernize processes. These include adoption of One ID standards to implement digital identity in the passenger journey and One Record to streamline cargo processes,” Xie Xingquan, IATA’s regional vice president for North Asia and Asia-Pacific, said in a statement this week.

The post-pandemic rebound has been strong for Thailand. Passenger numbers at 6 major airports reached 119.3 million — a 19% annual increase between October 2023 and September 2024. 

These included 72.7 million international passengers and 46.6 million domestic passengers.

Airports in the country saw over 732,690 flights during this period, split between international and domestic routes, with numbers projected to grow as the country anticipates almost 130 million passengers next year. 

The top source markets by air — China, India, South Korea, Russia, and Japan — highlight Thailand’s tourism appeal for