More airlines included in NAIA’s biometric check-in process

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) announced that more airlines now allow biometric check-in procedures at the airport.

In an advisory on Friday, NAIA said that this new update will allow for a faster check-in and boarding procedure for tourists and travelers.

“Using facial recognition to help speed up check-in, bag drop, security screening, and boarding, you can now move through the airport with fewer stops and less waiting,” the statement read.

The participating airlines are as follows:

Terminal 1: Philippine Airlines, Asiana Airlines

Terminal 2: AirAsia Philippines, Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines

Terminal 3: Qatar Airways, Air Canada, Cebu Pacific, AirAsia, United Airlines

Through the biometric check-in process, passengers only need to adhere to face-scanning.

Afterwards, they would be able to print their boarding passes and bag tags on their own, conduct self bag drops, pass through automated security lanes, and use facial recognition to board their flights at selected gates.

“Remember to scan your passport and complete your facial registration at the self check-in kiosk. This one-time setup allows you to use all automated lanes throughout your departure,” the advisory noted.

NAIA earlier announced their intent to incorporate facial recognition technology at airports last June 2025.

“We’re trying to make life easier for them na mabilis nga… Hindi sila hinahanapan ng kung anu-anong ID. Mukha na lang nila, ayun na ID. Hindi na kailangang bumunot ng passport... Soon, magkakaroon na tayo niyan,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said.

(We’re trying to make life easier and faster for them… They will no longer be asked to present whatever IDs. Just their faces, that will be the ID. There will be no need to show their passports… Soon, we will also have that.)

Biometric e-gates and self-bag drop counters were later installed in selected terminals towards the latter part of 2025.

According to NAIA, their biometric check-in to boarding procedures continue to roll out in phases. —Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/LDF, GMA Integrated News