The Miami International Airport will soon be the first airport in the country where customers can have their passport screened with the use of facial recognition technology.

The technology will be implemented at the airport’s newly renovated Concourse E federal inspection facility and will greatly reduce the time it takes for international passengers to get through customs.

Starting on Feb. 27 passengers arriving and departing from Concourse E can use the facial recognition technology when having their passport screened.

All the passenger has to do is hand a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent their passport and stand in front of the facial recognition technology, which will then quickly verify a passenger’s identity.

In a pilot program the airport initiated in November, the inspection facility was able to screen as many as 10 passengers per minute.

The announcement follows a number of initiatives MIA has been working on to reduce the time spent getting through the airport for international travel.

In August, MIA announced that U.S. citizens and Canadian visitors would able to clear passport control by using the airport’s mobile application. It said it was the first airport in the world authorized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to integrate mobile passport control into its mobile application.

On Feb. 27, officials from Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the airport’s newly renovated Concourse E federal inspection facility for international arrivals.

The new facility also reduces the walking distance for Concourse E and F passengers who previously only had access to the Concourse D passport hall.

Miami International Airport is the second-busiest airport for international passengers in the U.S. and over 44.6 million travelers passed through its terminals in 2016. The airport ranks 10th in the U.S for total passengers and the 30th in the world.

Source: BizJournals