British passengers may find that they have to undergo facial scans when jetting off on their summer holidays this year.

Plans are underway to trial facial recognition technology at certain airports in the UK and Europe to boost security and reduce congestion. The scans would replace normal checks carried out by passport officers and would take place at unmanned gates.

Any rejected passengers may have to join normal passport queues, however, according to the Guardian. The trial will test the reaction of flyers to the scans and any refusal by the system to match them to the information contained in their biometric passports.

"We think a machine can do a better job [than manned passport inspections]," commented Gary Murphy of the UK Border Agency.

"What will the public reaction be? Will they use it? We need to test and see how people react and how they deal with rejection. We hope to get the trial up and running by the summer."

Biometric technology is already being used in a number of ways across the aviation sector. Iris recognition is in place at airports around the world - including Heathrow, Manchester, Gatwick and Birmingham airports - for those who wish to sign up for the scheme.

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