Departing with Just Your Face... Incheon Airport Launches 'Smart Pass' Service

Opening Ceremony on the 28th... Full Expansion from 2025

Incheon International Airport Corporation and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that they will hold the ‘Smart Pass Service Opening Ceremony’ at 3 p.m. on the 28th at Incheon Airport Terminal 2. About 20 people, including Baek Won-guk, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, as well as heads of resident airport organizations and airline representatives, will attend the ceremony.

This service is the first at a domestic airport to utilize advanced facial recognition technology, allowing passengers to register their ‘facial recognition’ information and complete departure procedures quickly without needing to take out their passport or boarding pass. Some services will begin this month, with full expansion planned by April 2025.

Incheon International Airport Smart Pass Service
Photo by Incheon International Airport Corporation

To use the Smart Pass service, users must complete registration of their facial recognition information via the mobile app or the airport’s self-check-in kiosk at least 30 minutes before using the service. The registered facial recognition information can be used for five years from the initial registration date.

Even when using the registered facial recognition information, passengers must carry their passport and boarding pass. The departure area can be accessed regardless of the airline, but the boarding gate is available only for certain participating airlines.

Previously, passengers at Incheon Airport had to present their identification (passport) to security personnel every time for identity verification. Passengers using this service can avoid such inconvenience and are expected to reduce identity verification time. Since biometric information has unique characteristics that make forgery or duplication difficult, the level of aviation security is also expected to be significantly enhanced.

Lee Hak-jae, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, “By timely introducing the Smart Pass service in line with the summer peak season, we expect it will greatly help alleviate airport congestion,” and added, “We will continue to actively introduce advanced technologies into airport services to improve passenger convenience.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.