Dubai Airports, the operator of the world’s busiest airport, will test a new facial recognition technology this year that will eliminate long queues at its flagship, Dubai International Airport (DXB).
DXB, which handled 83.6 million passengers last year, reported a 7.8 percent increase in passenger numbers to 30.12 million in the first four months of 2017. The airport is expecting to receive 100 million passengers this year.
In order to ease rush at passport control counters, Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) has signed up with a British start-up ObjectTech to install biometric tunnels that will scan passenger faces as they walk to baggage reclaim.
ObjectTech, in a statement on its website, said the agreement paves way to create the world's first “gate-less border”, combining the power of biometric verification and the immutability of blockchain technology.
It said passengers arriving at the Dubai airport will be able to step off their flight and walk straight to baggage reclaim section via a biometric verification while walking, allowing them to be registered into the country using a pre-approved and entirely digitised passport which will contain information from the electronic chip in physical passports, finger prints, iris scans and facial recognition data.
The facial scan will be done through the use of LIDAR technology, a technology currently used in Google’s driverless cars.
“This is an identity that is fit for the digital age,” Paul Ferris, co-founder and CEO of ObjectTech, told UK media.
“Dubai is really committed to improving the lives of their citizens and visitors through technology and we’re very excited to be a part of making that a reality.”
Last week, GDRFA launched 'Emirates Smart Wallet' to allow passengers to use their smart phones at the Terminal 3 smart gates instead of their passports.
In May, Emirates, GDRFA and Dubai Airports started the “Together” initiative to simplify passenger check-in processes, baggage drop-off and tracking, and using advanced technology throughout the passenger journey within DXB.
A sophisticated smart scheme enabling travellers to use their smartphones instead of their passport or express gate cards at Dubai International Airport was launched.
The Emirates Smart Wallet aims to further streamline travel movement across Dubai International Airport, and is considered the first of its kind in the world, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.
The scheme was launched at the airport’s departure terminal by Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai's deputy Chief of Police and Public Security, and Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, head of Dubai’s Naturalisation and Residency Department.
The first phase of the scheme incorporates traveller personal data, Emirates ID and passport information as well as the e-gate card data, and is a stepping stone for a large-scale project to reduce travel clearing procedures to the minimum, WAM added.
Last month, Emirates launched a “Together” initiative in collaboration with key partners in a bid to improve the experience of travellers using its Dubai hub.
The initiative is being run with Dubai Customs, Dubai General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai Police, and Dubai Airports.
The initiative aims to improve traveller experience at the airline’s Dubai International airport hub, focusing on innovative and practical solutions that will be based on the “6s” - Smart, Speed, Saving, Service, Safety, Security.
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