UAE: Emirates announces world’s first robotic check-in system at airports – News

According to a spokesperson, more than 200 of these systems will be operating at airports across the city in the coming years

Emirates will roll out a portable robot check-in system at the country’s airports this year. The system, said to be a world-first – Sara – will be available in at least six languages ​​and provide assistance with everything from check-in to hotel reservations.

“We are the first airline in the world to launch a portable check-in robot,” Emirates Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha said at a media roundtable. “This has never been done at any airport in the world. We will be the first to use the robot, which can complete the entire screening process, including issuing the boarding pass, which will be sent to your registration number or electronically. in the mail. So we’re going to be rolling it out soon, and it’s a one-of-a-kind product.”

Developed by Emirates in collaboration with its partners, the robot check-in system is a fully locally produced machine, including its hardware and software. According to Al Redha, more than 200 of these systems will be operational at airports across the city in the next few years, with the first systems expected to be rolled out in the coming months. “It’s fully functional and ready to use right out of the box,” he said. “We’re just waiting for the number of units to be done.”

Al Redha said Sara would be very useful at the airport, especially for transit passengers. “This will be very helpful during a flight disruption or change,” he said. “You don’t need to go to an agent. You just go to the unit and it does everything.”

Over the next few years, Sara will be upgraded with AI, and not just a check-in system. “In fact, we’re going to improve and take it to a higher level where it will be able to link that with immigration to see if you’ve got the right entry clearance and visa,” Al Redha said. “If you have a hotel reservation, it can give you information, or if you want to book a hotel, you can use the system to do it. So we’re going to take it to a higher level than just a check-in bot.”

Sara was launched during the first edition of ForsaTEK, an annual event and a platform that brings together prominent technology and industry partners, start-ups and key players in the aviation industry.

ForsaTEK will be held at the Emirates Group on March 9-10, themed around aviation, travel and tourism, conceived as a platform to showcase the benefits of travel through entrepreneurship and innovation, nurturing, collaborating, encouraging the incubator community and promoting thought-provoking future ideas.

According to Al Redha, considering the advances in artificial intelligence, the use of artificial intelligence along with other technologies will triple in the next two years. “I believe we’re going to see more deployments like this, not just Emirates but other companies, I believe,” he said.

He also revealed that the use of biometrics and other modern technologies has helped airlines optimize their operations, especially during peak travel periods. “We introduced biometric registration and self-check-in,” he said. “[This has] Reduced the number of counters we need at check-in [and] The number of personnel required to process the flight at the boarding area. We managed to get almost 30% of the number of employees required to process with biometrics compared to non-biometric machines or doors. “