Dubai is advancing a unified biometric project for check-in, immigration, and boarding, enhancing passenger clearance. The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) officials announced during a press conference that Dubai International Airport will fully embrace biometric technology to recognize individuals based on their unique physical or behavioral characteristics in the near future.
This singular biometric approach aims to increase passenger capacity and eliminate the need for immigration counters, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for travelers.
Major General Obaid bin Suroor, Deputy Director-General of GDRFA, explained, “We have been working on this one biometric project for two years. The idea behind this is to make passenger journeys faster, easier, and seamless using one biometric. In the future, we may not see classic counters as we do now.”
He also mentioned that the new contactless smart travel system, which allows passengers to travel without using identification papers, will be rolled out “very soon.” This development aligns with Dubai’s commitment to cutting-edge technology for passenger convenience.
Major General Obaid shared these insights on the sidelines of a press conference announcing the upcoming International Conference on Policymaking: The Future of Ports, scheduled to commence on September 19 at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, with participants from Asia, Europe, the US, and the UAE.
Smart gates are utilized by 37% of passengers.
Major General Talal Al Shangeti, Assistant Director-General of the Airport Passport Sector at GDRFA, emphasized their collaboration with all stakeholders to enhance services, underscoring Dubai International Airport’s status as a premier service provider.
He noted that iris and facial biometrics represent the future for a seamless passenger journey, spanning check-in, immigration, security, and final boarding onto the aircraft.
During the period from January to June, more than 42 million passengers, including transit travelers, used airport facilities and immigration checkpoints, with 37% of them opting for smart gates.
Major General Talal expressed their goal of reaching an 80% utilization rate for smart gates and other technologies within the next few years, envisioning a comprehensive deployment of biometric technology at Dubai airport.
At present, there are 120 operational smart gates at Dubai International, and they aim to increase this number to 150 by the end of this year or early next year.