Beginning September 2026, Air Canada passengers can enroll through the airline’s mobile app to use biometric facial-verification gates at Toronto Pearson International Airport. This pilot program features four biometric gates, including one serving domestic flights and three for US-bound transborder travelers.
Pilot Structure and Enrollment Processes
Passengers on domestic flights must opt into the biometric program through the Air Canada app before arriving at the gate. At the gate, a live facial image is captured and matched against an approved traveler record stored in Air Canada’s identity gallery, replacing the need to present a passport and boarding pass. For US-bound flights, traveler images are captured
during American border preclearance at Pearson, allowing the three transborder biometric gates to verify identities without separate app enrollment.
Technology Providers and System Integration
The physical biometric gates are provided by Dormakaba. Middleware connecting these gates with identity management systems is supplied by Airsphere and SITA. Air Canada is responsible for the domestic enrollment software and maintains the associated identity gallery used for biometric comparisons during boarding.
Passenger Impact and Program Evaluation
Participation in the biometric boarding pilot is voluntary with traditional document checks remaining available. The pilot aims to assess adoption rates, passenger processing times, throughput, and customer satisfaction. Successful biometric verification allows enrolled passengers to bypass the manual
presentation of travel documents at boarding gates.
Toronto Pearson currently manages about 47 million passengers annually and plans to accommodate 65 million by the early 2030s. This biometric gate pilot supports the airport’s broader digital identity and automation modernization initiatives designed to handle increased passenger volumes. The pilot complements Air Canada’s prior mobile-based facial recognition identity trial and Calgary Airport’s selfie onboarding biometric boarding deployment.
