Singapore Changi Wants No-Passport Travel

Singapore Changi wants to break boundaries by implementing passport-free travel as early as 2024.

According to CNN, the airport wants to rely solely on biometric data, which would remove the element of passports, in a massive move towards automated immigration clearance.

Through the continued growth of biometric technology, including all-important facial recognition, the firm belief is that Singapore Changi can be taken to the next level, growing its reputation as an already leading airport.

Processing is always one of the slowest elements of travelling, and Changi wants to remove this. If the move would be pulled off, it would substantially remove the need for documentation.

However, if Changi were the only airport initially to move towards no passport travel, question marks would remain about whether other locations would soon follow and how quickly. If, say, Changi implemented the switch by 2024 but others followed years later, it would present challenges for travellers headed elsewhere.

Through the changes, biometrics will create what is described as a “single token of authentication” that would be employed at various touch points. This could include but not be limited to immigration clearance, boarding and even as far as bag drops.

If implemented satisfactorily, the need for physical documentation, which adds layers of protection now but can slow down overall processes, would be removed.

As technology only advances, the aviation industry is right on hand to find ways to implement this to improve overall experiences, whether inside the airport for customers or internally, to speed up processes and much more.

While Singapore Changi, following this report, will look to lead the way in this sense, other airports and countries globally are already exploring what biometrics can offer them. They will no doubt be watching Changi’s experience closely.