Home Ministry: Facial recognition system may be used in airports nationwide

Nur Jazlan (right) and Aireen at the launch of the Faces system in Senai Airport on Feb 6.

SENAI: The Home Ministry is looking at the possibility of using AirAsia's Fast Airport Clearance Experience System (Faces) – which employs facial recognition technology – at airports nationwide.

Faces, which is fully owned and operated by AirAsia, uses the technology to identify registered passengers as they approach automated boarding gates, allowing them to board flights without presenting any travel documents.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the Immigration Department was monitoring the implementation of the system at the Senai International Airport.

He expressed hoped that Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and AirAsia would discuss how to roll out the system at other airports.

"The system will complement existing security systems at airports in the country for enhanced safety and security," Nur Jazlan said to reporters during the launch of Faces at the Senai Airport here Tuesday (Feb 6).

Also present at the event were Johor Tourism, Domestic Trade and Consumerism committee chairman Datuk Tee Siew Kiong, AirAsia Group Deputy CEO (digital, transformation, corporate services) Aireen Omar and Senai Airport Terminal Services Sdn Bhd CEO Md Derick Basir.

Meanwhile, Aireen said the AirAsia had invested about RM300,000 in the system at Senai Airport.

She said about 3,000 passengers had passed through the system during the one-month trial period for domestic flights at the airport last year.

"We are now in the midst of rolling out the system for our passengers departing from Senai to Macau and Don Muang Airport in Bangkok," said Aireen.

She added that AirAsia had robust security systems in place to ensure that the identification data recorded by the system would not be compromised or leaked.