Russian Airport to Test Passport-Free Boarding With Biometrics
Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow is preparing to launch biometric boarding, allowing passengers to board domestic flights without showing a passport. Expansion to international routes will depend on changes in legislation.
Sheremetyevo is testing biometric identification systems as part of its boarding process, the airport’s press service confirmed. The infrastructure is already in place, but full-scale rollout requires legislative approval. For now, the pilot covers only domestic flights, though international use is planned.
Since 2021, the airport has been installing additional hardware and upgrading its IT systems to enable biometric verification. According to management, successful implementation hinges on three factors: passenger convenience, transportation security, and cost efficiency for the airport. Currently, about 10 million Russians have confirmed biometric profiles, a figure directly tied to the financial viability of biometric rollouts across airports.
Earlier, Sheremetyevo deputy CEO Dmitry Ilyin said that biometric security checks could be introduced at most Russian airports by 2030, making the technology a nationwide standard within the decade.
