Iris scan system restored after glitch leaves hundreds stranded

Sharjah: The iris scan system was restored at Sharjah International Airport on Friday after being out of action for 11 hours, Gulf News has learnt.

This came as a huge relief to the hundreds of stranded passengers at the airport's arrival lounge.

Scores of passengers were stranded from 11am to 10pm on Friday as the iris scan system had broken down due to a technical hitch at the Naturalisation and Residency Department in Abu Dhabi, according to a senior official at the airport.

He said those who were coming into the country on visit visas must have an iris scan.

Bad experience

"No one can enter here on a visit visa without passing through the iris scan. Visitors will stay with us until the problem is fixed," he said.

One of the passengers who had come from Pakistan told Gulf News on Saturday that he left the airport at around 12 noon after undergoing his iris scan.

"It was a bad experience for us as we had to wait at the airport for more than twelve hours before they fixed it," he said.