Sydney Airport tips facial ID to ease travel

Biometric facial recognition technology could make life easier for travellers, new Sydney Airport boss Geoff Culbert says.

Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert, on the tarmac airside at Sydney Airport yesterday. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Biometric facial recognition technology could make life easier for travellers, new Sydney Airport boss Geoff Culbert said after ­unveiling strong full-year earnings growth on the back of a ­record number of flyers.

The airport is pushing ahead with the first phase of biometrics testing and Mr Culbert said the technology had the potential to be used by travellers from check-in to boarding.

“This is all about improving the customer experience at the airport, making it easier for passengers to get through, reducing wait times and making it a more stress-free experience,” Mr Culbert told The Australian.

“How does it translate to ­revenue? There’s no direct link ­between that and revenue but to the extent that customers can get through the check-in process quicker and they’ve got more time to enjoy the amenities inside the terminal, that’s a good thing for everyone.”

He said it could also help boost security and deal with any further overhauls in that area.

Mr Culbert, who used to be General Electric’s Australian head and replaced the airport’s long-time chief executive Kerrie Mather in January, made the comments after confirming the net profit attributable to security holders was $349.8 million for 2017, compared to $320.9m in 2016.

Yesterday’s full-year results for 2017 show total revenues rose 8.7 per cent on the back of record passenger numbers that saw more than an extra 1 million travellers go through the airport.

Mr Culbert attributed this growth to the proximity to Asia, bigger aircraft, the liberalisation of air rights and growing numbers of global travellers.

The company foreshadowed the 2018 full-year distribution would be 37.5c per stapled security, up from 34.5c in 2017.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was up 8.3 per cent to $1,198.9m amid strong returns from retail and property after terminal refurbishments and new hotels.

The return on retail was up 12.7 per cent, while property and car rental was up 8.4 per cent as the Mantra and Ibis Budget hotels have done better than expected since opening.

This outstripped the growth in car parking and ground transport of 2.2 per cent.

Operating expenses were up by 10.4 per cent or $26.7m because of factors including higher electricity prices, as well as security costs that can be recovered.

Mr Culbert told The Australian yesterday there were markets with the potential to create new routes, including to India and other areas such as the Americas. “I just think there’s a huge amount of potential for new routes and new markets around the world,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Culbert told investors that “there is still more work to be done” on congestion near the airport.

He was also asked by analysts about his expectations for the looming Productivity Commission review into airport services, which comes as the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has indicated it considers the existing monitoring system to be insufficient and as airlines ­complain about charges.

He said the airport would “continue to engage very constructively in any exercise as we do with all of our government stakeholders”.