Now, Your Face is Your Passport in Dubai Airports!

Dubai has introduced the latest biometric technology to ensure contactless journey. Passengers can check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates lounge and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport. Air travel through Dubai just got safer.

Utilizing the latest biometric technology — a mix of facial and iris recognition — which are now open for Emirates passengers travelling through and from Dubai, let travelers to check in, cross the passport control zone and board flights without coming in contact with the airline staff. 

The new project was launched to assist a contact-free travel journey and to cut down on queues in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 122 smart gates will allow passengers to walk through between five to nine seconds only based on the passenger’s movement and steps to finish the procedures.

Brigadier Talal Ahmad Al Shanqiti, General Director assistant of Ports Affairs in GDRFA-Dubai, said that the airport witnessed a dramatic increase in travelers as the emirate reopened its doors to tourists since July last year. 

3000 passengers per day use the biometric path and the smart gates were modified for the seamless journey. Passengers who wish to opt for a contact-less journey first has to register at the check-in for Emirates where cameras will take the biometric data. However, passport must be kept on person throughout the process.

“In Dubai, your passport becomes your face. In seconds, passengers can check-in and walk through the smart gates. You don’t even need to show your boarding pass or passport before stepping into the aircraft,” Brig Al Shanqiti added.

After being registered, passengers can use the mechanism at the boarding gates without need to show their travel documents and can use the smart gates at Emirates business lounge.