FAAN to replace physical IDs with facial recognition at domestic airports

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is set to implement a new biometric facial recognition system, V-Pass, designed to streamline domestic air travel. This initiative aims to eliminate the need for passengers to present physical identification documents at check-in and boarding gates.

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There’s no more going to be having to use your physical ID to go to the check-in or when it’s time to go through the boarding gate.

Passengers will undergo a one-time enrollment process. Subsequently, their identity will be verified through facial recognition at automated electronic gates installed in domestic airports. Adebola Joy Agunbiade, FAAN’s Director of Commercial and Business Development, explained that once registered, a passenger's face becomes their identification, even if they forget their physical ID.

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Once I check in for my flight, I get to the e-gate, I’m recognised using my biometrics, which is my face.

FAAN asserts that V-Pass will bolster airport security by offering a more robust identification method. Additionally, the system is expected to reduce passenger queues and improve overall movement efficiency within airports. The authority also anticipates that V-Pass will help maintain a more comprehensive database of domestic airport users. The platform is reportedly designed with data privacy in mind and adheres to the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation. However, FAAN has not yet disclosed the deployment timeline or when passenger enrollment will begin.

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If I forget my ID at home, as long as I have been registered and onboarded on the V-Pass platform, I really don’t need that. My identification is my face.