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Birmingham and East Midlands Airports Set for Huge Change to Passport Checks
Border Force says the new system will cut UK border wait times by 25% and still require passports for other travel checks.
- Birmingham Airport and East Midlands Airport will introduce 'contactless borders' in the coming weeks, allowing British passengers to use facial recognition at e-gates instead of scanning passports, according to The Times.
- With passenger numbers rising annually, the system aims to speed up border control by 25 per cent. Phil Douglas, director general of Border Force, stated, 'We are doing this for reasons of border safety.'
- Manchester Airport successfully trialled the system in 2025 over three weeks, with passengers reporting a 'quicker and better' experience. Airlines will transmit passport photos to Border Control for comparison against live facial scans at e-gates.
- The system will expand to all UK airports with e-gates by early 2027. Public response remains mixed; while some called it a 'game-changer,' Connor Lomax branded it a 'waste of money.'
- Privacy activists warn the technology is 'error-ridden,' citing Big Brother Watch reports that 80 per cent of people misidentified by facial recognition in London in 2025 were Black, with no laws currently protecting citizen privacy.
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13 Articles
13 Articles
Britons could use faces instead of passports as 'contactless borders' to roll out in UK airports within weeks
Britons could use faces instead of passports as 'contactless borders' to roll out in UK airports within weeks . British travellers returning from abroad will soon be able to pass through airport e-gates without scanning their passports, as new facial recognition technology rolls out at the border
·London, United Kingdom
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The IndependentReposted by 
The Independent (US)
The Independent (US)Brits to no longer have to scan passports at gates — and can use their faces instead
Border force believe the ‘contactless border’ system could speed up border checks
·London, United Kingdom
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Daily Mirror+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
End to showing passport at UK airports thanks to facial recognition
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 25%
R 25%
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