Students of the National Research University Higher School of Economics — St. Petersburg have revealed a high level of readiness of air passengers for digital identification during pre-flight service. The study was conducted as part of an internship at Pulkovo Airport.

Fourth-year students of the program "Management and Analytics in the Public Sector" of the National Research University Higher School of Economics — St. Petersburg presented the results of a sociological study on the introduction of biometrics at Pulkovo Airport. The survey involved 2,000 passengers of domestic flights.

According to the data obtained, more than 60% of respondents are ready to use biometric identification. At the same time, young people aged 14–18 are most open to innovation, with support reaching 80%. At the same time, passengers over 60 are more likely to express skepticism about digital solutions.

Biometric technologies are being developed on the basis of the state Unified Biometric System (UBS), created on the initiative of the Ministry of Digital Development and Mass Communications and the Bank of Russia. Biometrics are already used in the banking sector - for example, when paying for purchases or opening deposits, in the transport and telecom industries, as well as in the provision of public services. Airports in Dubai, Singapore and Tokyo are already implementing a similar system to speed up passport control.

"Pulkovo is the first airport in Russia to delve into the topic of introducing biometrics at all stages of pre-flight formalities. We strive to make travel even more comfortable, faster and safer for every passenger. The technology will create a "seamless journey", eliminate paper documents, reduce queues and minimize contact procedures. The system eliminates the human factor and errors in document verification," said Grigory Kuzmin, head of the planning, control and project management department at Northern Capital Gateway.

The study revealed the main concerns of passengers: fear of digitalization, unwillingness to give up traditional documents and concern about the security of personal data.

"Many respondents expressed concerns that their biometric data could fall into the hands of fraudsters. In fact, the unified biometric system encrypts them and stores them securely in the form of mathematical vectors - in this format it is almost impossible to hack," says HSE student Rozaliya Valiullina.

The students' research will be taken into account by the Biometric Technologies Center when implementing the system at Pulkovo Airport.

The Northern Capital Gateway company actively cooperates with HSE - St. Petersburg, offering opportunities for practice, internship and employment.