Nearly a third of eligible passengers arriving at Bristol Airport now use its hi-tech automated e-passport gates – double the number going through them last year.
The airport today said 31.3% of those carrying biometric passports used the system in the 12 months to July 1 rather than the traditional checks which scan the passport.
Bristol is one of 10 UK airports with e-passport gates. Passengers using its three machines have their faces are scanned and checked against their passport photos – a process that can take just a few seconds.
Unlike other technology previously trialled at other UK airports, such as iris scanning, passengers are not required to pre-register to use the system.
Although the gates are automated, they are monitored by Border Force officers, who also guide new users through what is a relatively-straightforward process.
The Border Force and the airport have committed to staff the gates from 11am until midnight and for 20 hours a day between July and September.
Biometric passports carry the distinctive e-passport logo featuring a circle with lines on either side. The gates can be used by passengers aged 18 or over holding biometric passports from countries in the European Economic Area or Switzerland. 
Bristol Airport head of customer operations Alison Roberts said: “The dramatic increase in the use of e-passport gates shows that our customers appreciate the convenient service they provide. Working with Border Force, we have committed to making the gates available for the majority of arriving passengers this summer. This will help to provide a positive impression to visitors to the UK using Bristol Airport as their entry point, as well as providing a quick and efficient service to those arriving home.”
Director of Border Force South, Carole Upshall, added: “The use of e-passport gates at UK airports continues to increase with over 9.7m passengers using them in the last year. Two thirds of the adult UK population now have biometric passports and Border Force is supporting this rapidly growing number by replacing its existing e-passport gates with second generation gates at airport terminals across the country over the next four years.”
Border Force opened an additional border control point at Bristol Airport last summer to accommodate increased passenger volumes in line with forecast growth. Selected flights can be processed through the additional point, reducing wait times during busy periods.
Some 5.9m passengers used Bristol Airport last year – a number forecast to grow to 10m by 2020.
