Beginning mid-September 2026, Air Canada passengers at Toronto Pearson International Airport can register through the airline’s mobile app to use a new facial verification biometric gate for domestic flights.
Biometric Gate Pilot Structure at Toronto Pearson
The pilot at Pearson features one domestic biometric e-gate operated jointly by the airport and Air Canada. Additionally, three biometric gates serve travelers departing to the United States via the transborder area. Domestic passengers must opt in through the Air Canada app before approaching the biometric gate, where a live facial image is compared with the airline’s stored identity records. A successful match removes the need to present a passport and
boarding pass. For US-bound passengers, biometric enrollment is completed automatically during US border preclearance, allowing the gates to verify facial images without prior app registration.
Technology Providers and Systems Integration
The biometric gates are supplied by Dormakaba. Middleware connecting the biometric infrastructure with passenger identity systems is provided by Airsphere and SITA. Air Canada delivers the domestic enrollment platform and maintains the identity gallery used to verify enrolled passengers.
Passenger Enrollment and Operational Details
Participation in the biometric program is voluntary for Air Canada travelers at Toronto Pearson, with conventional passport and boarding pass checks remaining available. The pilot is tracking adoption rates, processing efficiency, passenger throughput, and satisfaction. The
biometric boarding process is currently only used for final gate procedures.
Toronto Pearson Capacity and Modernization Background
Toronto Pearson manages approximately 47 million passengers annually, with expectations to grow to 65 million by the early 2030s. The biometric gate pilot supports the airport’s broader modernization initiative focused on digital identity and automated processing to accommodate this growth. This deployment follows Air Canada’s earlier trial linking mobile app enrollment with facial recognition at airports and parallels a Canadian biometric boarding program using selfie onboarding at Calgary Airport.
