DENVER - Acuity Market Intelligence considers 2019 to be a critical tipping-point for airport biometric facilitation. Acuity forecasts passenger acceptance and operator commitment will lead to global market acceleration in 2019 and beyond, generating $1.3 billion in revenue by 2022. As airports and airlines expand their biometric footprint beyond immigration eGates and kiosks, seamless "Fastlane Biometric" touchpoints at check-in, bag drop, security, and boarding gates will become mainstream.
"Fastlane Biometrics is a nascent market with rapid growth potential," says Maxine Most, Principal at Acuity Market Intelligence. "Today, about 5,600 biometric eGates and kiosks are deployed at more than 300 locations in 80 countries. This number is projected to triple by 2022 as dozens of prominent airports deploy Fastlane Biometrics over the next three to five years to streamline and enhance the customer journey."
Acuity reports that the majority of Fastlane Biometrics units currently deployed are Automated Border Control (ABC) eGates and Automated Passport Control (APC) Kiosks with fewer than 300 of the remaining touchpoints at check-in, bag drop, security, and boarding. This will shift over the next two to three years as airports embrace Fastlane Biometrics and additional touchpoints become mainstream within the airport passenger processing ecosystem.
"Airports will set the standard for biometric facilitation," Most says. "As the frequency of encountering Fastlane Biometrics increases, so too will consumer comfort and preference for the convenience of the experience. This will create opportunity – and significant demand - for similar solutions within, and well outside, the travel sector expediting and securing everything from cruise ships and car rental and ride-sharing services, to sports stadium and event center access."
Acuity's Biometric Facilitation Deployment List provides details for all known deployments of biometric check-in, bag drop, security checkpoints, and boarding gates including facility, location, units, owner, biometric modality, installation date, and vendors.
