If you’re passing through Dubai Airport in the near future, you might notice something different.
Dubai’s two airports are set to become even more convenient for travellers, with a new system removing the need for passengers to use their physical passports – or any documents at all.
Called “Travel Without Borders”, the new initiative will use facial recognition technology to scan travellers’ faces and confirm their identity without requiring them to stop at passport control.
This means travellers will simply be able to walk through the airport without showing any documents, a senior official revealed.
Lieutenant Colonel Khaled bin Madia Al Falasi from Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) told Gulf News that the AI facial recognition cameras will scan travellers’ faces while they walk, confirming their identity and registering their arrival or departure. So no passport control counters, officers or stops will be involved – even at the airports’ smart gates.
According to Al Falasi, the system will be activated “very soon” at all terminals of Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), with the service initially available for business and first-class passengers, before expanding to all passengers.
“We have moved on from the gate phase. Because our aim is ‘Travel Without Borders’, today [Tuesday] we are announcing that our services to be seamless,” he said.
“GDRFA always strives to make our services fast. We have all the travellers’ data; we have all the citizens’ and residents’ data.
“Today, we are taking all their data, collecting their biometric prints as they pass through the airport, getting off the plane, getting their luggage, and getting into the car – so that he or she doesn’t feel like there’s any border control.
“The concept of gates and passport corridors will be gone. The project will be implemented in partnership with airlines and other parties. Its implementation will be very soon.”
Al Falasi said travellers coming to Dubai for the first time will need to pre-register before arrival through an app.
“We will do a match the first time upon entry, and then they can use the [Travel Without Borders] system.”
Earlier this year, Dubai unveiled plans for Al Maktoum International Airport, which is set to become the world’s largest at five times the size of Dubai Airport. A US$35 billion (around AUD$53.5 billion) passenger terminal will house 400 gates and five parallel runways to accommodate up to 260 million annual travellers.
Dubai Economy & Tourism representatives also visited Sydney this year to meet with trade and media. Karryon attended an immersion dinner to hear how visitation to the UAE city is tracking.
