Boarding passes could be consigned to history as airlines use facial recognition and fingerprints to identify passengers at the gate.

Known as “One Identity”, the project is being orchestrated by the International Air Transport Association, the trade body that represents 275 airlines.

The aim is “to offer passengers a frictionless airport process allowing the possibility to walk through the airport without breaking stride."

Ultimately the industry hopes that biometric information will be used throughout a passenger’s journey through the airport from check-in to boarding.

Delta will soon allow qualified passengers to use their fingerprints to gain access to its airport lounges Credit: GETTY

This is seen as a way of reducing queues and cutting out much of the hassle faced currently faced by passengers.

Under the proposals, it would see passengers register their biometric information in advance and this “One Identity” would be used for verification.

IATA is already working with the Canadian and American authorities to develop pilot schemes and it is anticipated that these schemes will be extended to transatlantic flights.

In addition to making passengers’ lives easier, it would also tighten up security, for example, making it harder for anybody on a “do not fly” list to board an aircraft.

In the United States, Delta has just teamed up with a company called CLEAR which already runs a registered travellers service in which subscribers - for a fee - can skip some airport queues using their biometric details.

The aim is to cut airport queues Credit: GETTY

As an initial step, Delta will allow qualified passengers to use their fingerprints to gain access to its airport lounges.

The next stage, which will be tested at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, will enable passengers to use their fingerprints for checking in a bag and boarding the aircraft.

Delta is not alone. JetBlue, an airline which serves much of the US east coast, is also testing facial recognition technology and biometrics to provide paperless boarding on flights between Boston and Aruba.

The airlines are working in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for airport safety, and Customs and Border Protection, a division of the Department of Homeland Security.

In Britain facial recognition has been used by British Airways for domestic flights since April, following a successful trial of biometric gates last year.

British Airways has tested facial recognition on domestic flights

It entails taking a facial scan of passengers when they arrive at security which is then matched at the gate.

Unlike many other countries, Britain does not require people to carry a photo ID, so the use of facial recognition means that the identity of all passengers can be verified.