Both Narita and Haneda airports in Japan are implementing a new facial recognition system called Face Express in July of this year ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics Games. The system will be used for all international flight boarding, regardless of airline, and will allow passengers to board flights without showing their tickets or passports. 

The non-contact facial recognition procedure will automatically verify all passengers boarding a flight without the need for staff to manually check airline tickets and passports at the gate. 

Passengers must register a photo of their face at check-in, and later, when boarding the plane, passengers will have their faces scanned by a camera as a security measure instead of having to show their identification documents to airport staff. 

The new system will not only expedite the process of getting from the check-in desk to the plane, but will also provide a contactless experience to limit the spread of COVID-19.