Passengers holding first and business class tickets get smart tunnel experience
Anew passport-clearance system at Dubai International Airport will have departing passengers on their way in seconds.
Launched by General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) at Terminal 3, the new service will give passengers holding first and business class tickets a more efficient passport experience at departure.
Roughly 20 passengers were the first to take advantage of the new system yesterday. According to the latest data, Dubai International Airport has just reached a new record, with the total number of travellers passing through its terminals hitting 8.37 million in August this year.
Travellers can walk through the biometric recognition system without having their passports stamped thanks to Artificial Intelligence in the tunnel to include all the databases of passengers. Travellers, however, must take their passport with them on the first passing through the Smart Tunnel to allow the system to capture necessary data for later use.
In a major step to speed up passenger movement, Dubai Airports yesterday unveiled ‘smart tunnels’ that will enable travellers to complete passport control procedures in a few seconds.
Officials of the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) launched the first smart tunnel at Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 to give passengers holding first- and business-class tickets a comfortable experience.
Currently, the service is only available for departures.
Roughly 20 passengers were the first to take advantage of the new system yesterday. However, the project is still in the pilot phase till officially launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Travellers can walk through the biometric recognition system without having their passports stamped, thanks to artificial intelligence enabled in the smart tunnel that quickly compares passengers’ facial recognition and iris scan data with its database.
Passport verification
Passengers must get their passports verified after walking through the smart tunnel for the first time, but they don’t need to do so the next time they use the system.
Major-General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, director-general of GDRFA, said: “It’s the first of its kind in the world. In simple steps, the traveller can complete procedures without the need to use travel documents such as passports, ID cards or boarding cards.”
The smart tunnel assesses passengers’ data accurately using machine learning, in order to facilitate and accelerate the transit process through the airport, without the need to use any travel documents or boarding card as in the case of smart gates.
“The smart tunnel was made in the UAE. We have worked on the idea for four years. The project is aimed at continuing to offer the best in our airports, especially in view of growth in passenger numbers. We have set up the airports to become smart stations. We are providing the facilities and services that make travel through Dubai a memorable experience, which enabled Dubai to take an advanced position among the best tourist and global destinations in the list of the world’s largest airports,” Maj Gen Al Merri added.
According to the latest data, Dubai International Airport has just hit a new record, with the total number of travellers passing through its terminals in August this year reaching 8.37 million.
Maj Gen Al Merri said that the project is the brainchild of Dubai Future Accelerators. It is also in line with the Dubai 10X initiative, which launched in 2017 and aims to position Dubai as a global capital of innovation within 10 years, providing intelligent services to delight customers, whether citizen, resident or visitor.