Imagine being able to check in for your flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the lounge, and board your plane all by simply strolling through the airport. No human intervention needed.
For Emirates passengers at Dubai International airport, this will soon be a reality.
It comes as Emirates gears up to launch the world’s first biometric path which will offer its customers a seamless airport journey.
How does it work? Well it’s all about biometric technology which uses a mix of facial and iris recognition
The latest biometric equipment has already been installed at Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International airport.
This equipment can be found at select check-in counters, at the Emirates Lounge in Concourse B for premium passengers, and at select boarding gates. Areas where biometric equipment is installed will be clearly marked.
Trials for the ‘Smart Tunnel’ have started this month.
It’s a world-first for passport control, where passengers simply walk through a tunnel and are “cleared” by immigration authorities without human intervention or the need for a physical passport stamp.
Once its internal tests are completed, Emirates will launch trials for biometric processing at the other key customer points at the airport – check-in, lounge, and boarding gate – and at transit counters/gates, and for its chauffeur drive services.
“This is very much in line with Emirates’ ‘Fly Better’ brand promise. We will soon invite customers to participate in the trials for our biometric path, and we look forward to their feedback.”
Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Adel Al Redha
Initially focussed on First and Business class travellers, Emirates intends to speedily extend the biometric path to Economy class travellers in Dubai, and in the future to other airports.
- READ: Delta tests biometric boarding passes
- READ: Emirates revamps its offerings in First and Business Class