Dubai: From checking in your baggage to clearing immigration and even at the duty free – imagine not having to take out your passport or boarding pass at any step at the airport.
At the ongoing GITEX Global 2024, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) is showcasing how Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport uses facial recognition to make passengers’ journeys easier.
While currently the facial recognition system is used at the immigration e-gates and at the self-check-in kiosks, it is also expected to be introduced at the duty free zones, making it easier for passengers to complete their purchase, without the need to show their boarding pass.
Here are all the ways in which your airport experience is being upgraded:
1. Faster e-gates process
Remember how you had to place your passport for scanning before entering the e-gate the last time you were at Zayed International Airport? The new terminals and upgraded technology now make that step redundant. As you approach the e-gate, simply pause for a couple of seconds at the entrance, as the cameras scan your face to let you enter the e-gate.
Once you are at the e-gate terminal, once again, you simply need to follow the instructions of where to stand and where to look during the immigration verification process, and the process will be complete.
According to the ICP, this streamlining of the e-gates process has reduced the immigration check time from 30 to 35 seconds down to 4 and 7 seconds.
2. Get your baggage tag, pay for excess baggage without queueing
The self-check-in kiosk at the Zayed International Airport also allows passengers to simply place their luggage on the platform once the system has scanned their face.
The kiosk then automatically prints out the baggage labels, which you can then attach to the luggage.
In case your luggage exceeds the maximum weight limit allowed on your ticket, you can also pay for it at the kiosk.
3. Facial recognition at duty-free soon
Even at the duty free, you will soon not need to present your boarding pass at the payment counter, thanks to facial recognition systems that are being put in place. According to the ICP, the technology is expected to be implemented at the duty free at Zayed International Airport soon.
