Dubai: Facial recognition system at airports to soon cut travel time to seconds

Termed as the “future of immigration”, this system will allow travellers to walk through the airport without having to queue up at any immigration counter

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Mon 14 Oct 2024, 1:08 PM

Last updated: Mon 14 Oct 2024, 9:04 PM

Travel through Dubai Airports could soon take only seconds, according to officials from General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai (GDRFA).

“This is a biometric that allow people to travel through airports without any documents,” said Lt. Hamad Almandoos from GDRFA. “We will place cameras all over the airport that will take photographs as the person walks by and compare it to their documents.”

He was speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Gitex Global technology conference that began in the UAE on Monday. One of the largest tech events in the world, Gitex Global will be held over 5 days at the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC).

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The cameras will be connected to this system that will scan and compare passengers' credentials. KT Photo: Nasreen Abdulla

Termed as the “future of immigration” this system will allow travellers to walk through the airport in seconds without having to queue up at any immigration counters. “We have already been trialling the system and it will be rolled out very soon,” said Lt. Hamad Almandoos. “It will have our travellers walk straight to security in just seconds.”

This system will allow passengers to travel without the hassle of taking out their passports and showing relevant travel documents when they pass through Dubai airports.

Seamless travel has been a priority for Dubai airports for several years now. In 2021, a new fast-track passport control service helped passengers clear immigration procedures in under nine seconds.

In the past GDRFA has also floated the idea of travellers being able to complete their immigration checks and security clearance inside a special electric car which would transport them from their homes to the airport.

In addition to perfecting seamless travel, GDRFA is also conducting hackathons at its stand at GITEX Global to encourage youngsters. The hackathon, which has a prize pool of Dh70,000, invites students from universities across the country to attend the hackathon and develop websites in various categories.

Prioritising convenient travel is not unique to Dubai. On July 21, Abu Dhabi Airports also announced the launch of the Biometric Smart Travel project which will offer automated traveller registration service, self-service baggage delivery, and facial recognition verification at e-gates and boarding gates, doing away with the need for travel documents or direct interaction with airport staff for passengers.

The project will use the databases of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP) to automatically authenticate travellers using biometric technology, eliminating the need for prior registration for departing passengers.

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