Enhancing Airport Security: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Strengthening Safety Measures

Each day in 2025, 4,000 airports around the world handle nearly 100,000 commercial flights and around 14 million passengers between them. Despite these vast numbers, passengers demand a seamless airport experience, low queue times, and the safe transit of their baggage. Meanwhile, security threats are ever-changing and of the highest priority to governments around the globe. 

How do the world’s busiest airports cope with growing passenger numbers and continue to keep their passengers safe? The answer is growing investment in artificial intelligence technology.

Here we cover three core uses for AI-powered specialised security systems and explore examples of how this technology is reshaping airport security infrastructure in world-leading airports. 

1. AI-Powered Human Surveillance for Real-Time Threat Detection

Most international airports are both vast in size and complex in nature. The human endeavour required to monitor an entire airport for security threats, bottlenecks and other issues is immense. 

Aside from the manpower required, manual surveillance systems are problematic because they can be prone to human error or fatigue. They rely on unwavering concentration, correct judgement, and timely action. 

AI-powered surveillance, however, can capture and analyse vast amounts of footage in real time, giving immediate alerts. AI systems are trained to detect anomalies and recognise potential threats faster than any human.  This goes beyond security; AI in airports can also help optimise queue management, reduce bottlenecks and improve passenger experience with real-time updates on automated screens.

How the Technology Works in Detail

AI surveillance systems use real-time video feeds with AI learning algorithms. The algorithms are trained on vast datasets to recognise certain individual behaviours, detect patterns within crowds or spot unauthorised movements in specific areas.

When the algorithm detects any of these issues, it immediately alerts security personnel. AI can also help assess the severity and urgency of a situation, helping security teams prioritise their responses.  

Airport Case Studies

AI surveillance systems are now widely used in airports around the world, including London’s Heathrow and Florida’s Punta Gorda, and in various airport zones. AI in airports is now analysing passenger movements in terminal buildings, detecting suspicious activity in sensitive staff-only areas, and monitoring perimeter fences, for example. 

AI in airports is sophisticated enough to identify unusual behaviour from individuals within large crowds. This could be threatening gestures, loitering, or even a person taken unwell. Incidents like these are flagged for human review by security personnel.

Around an airport, AI surveillance can pick up on unattended baggage, intrusions on the airport perimeter, or unauthorised persons tailgating staff into sensitive areas, complementing the role of access control systems. 

AI in Baggage Screening for Faster Output and Enhanced Security 

Baggage and hand luggage screening is vital for keeping passengers safe. Computed tomography (CT) scanners partnered with powerful AI technology are now able to analyse the contents of bags with incredible precision.  

How the Technology Works in Detail

CT scanners produce detailed 3D images, far more sophisticated than 2D X-ray airport security equipment. AI algorithms immediately analyse these images, having been trained to detect even the smallest or most heavily concealed threat. 

This system can provide consistent, tireless scrutiny of everything placed in a scanner. It far outperforms human capabilities in terms of speed, accuracy and reliability. 

Airport Case Studies

The US Transportation Security Administration has introduced AI-powered CT scanners at various airports, including Los Angeles International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. The systems can detect firearms, blades, flammables, electronics and other contraband. 

At these airports, passengers can now leave electronics and liquids in their bags. This, together with the faster processing speeds of AI-powered machines, means less congestion in the airport. 

Biometric Identification for Faster Airport Journeys

The use of AI-powered facial recognition technology goes hand in hand with the use of biometric data management in airports. This advancement allows individual travellers to pass through various points of interaction, like passport control and boarding, much faster, thus streamlining passenger flow overall. 

How the Technology Works 

Biometrics are increasingly crucial to modern airport security and faster passenger processing systems, often bypassing the need for manual checks. 

To benefit from biometric technology, passengers must upload their data. Almost all modern passports now store biometric data. However, passengers are increasingly enrolling in airport or airline programs and uploading a photo alongside their passport information for verification. 

At the airport, cameras capture passengers’ faces and create a detailed digital map of their features. This map is checked against biometric data and security information stored in secure databases. If a match is identified, the passenger is allowed to proceed. This system is now used at various airport touchpoints, including check-in, boarding and airport border security. 

Airport Case Studies

Many major airports are making use of biometrics for passenger security and processing. 

For example, Dubai International Airport has biometric smart gates, enabling passengers to clear security and board without the need to produce their passports. Travellers arriving at several US airports can use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Simplified Arrival for streamlined entry. This uses biometric technology to record the entry and exit of all non-US citizens in a touchless process.

Expect to see this technology grow in use. Singapore’s Changi Airport, for example, plans to automate 95% of its immigration process by 2026 through the use of facial and iris recognition.

AI in Airports and the Wider World

AI is revolutionising airport security. It’s reshaping how threats are detected, how passengers are screened, and how crowds are managed. This use is mirrored in the wider world. AI is being integrated into more and more applications and systems, improving functionality, streamlining processes, and delivering value. 

At MVP Tech, as one of the leading artificial intelligence companies in the UAE, we can help you identify and implement all the possibilities AI can bring to your business. Contact us now.