‘Unlimited Smart Travel’: Dubai airport introduces new passport control initiative

Dubai: In a major leap towards a seamless journey, some passengers at Dubai International Airport can now travel without stopping for identity verification as part of immigration procedures.

Coinciding with the ongoing Dubai AI Week, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) – Dubai has launched its latest passport control initiative in the First and Business Class lounges at Terminal 3.

According to the GDRFA, the ‘Unlimited Smart Travel’ service integrates cutting-edge AI technologies for facial recognition and identity verification.

“This service has been developed in line with the Directorate’s vision to improve the quality of life for travellers and enhance the efficiency and smoothness of travel procedures,” the GDRFA said in a statement.

The Directorate noted that the service represents a “qualitative leap” in smart mobility.
“It strengthens travellers’ trust and reliance on smart systems, increases the throughput capacity from one traveller to 10 individuals simultaneously, and contributes to raising the satisfaction of both customers and staff, while reducing service steps and accelerating passage through travel gates.”

Data from smart tunnel
During the opening day of the AI Innovations Conference on Tuesday, Lt Gen Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the GDRFA, announced the new hi-tech upgrades that make the immigration process 10 times faster, though he did not provide further details.

However, a senior official from the Directorate revealed that the new service leverages data from the smart tunnel initiative, first launched in 2020.
“From our experience with the first smart tunnel five years ago, we learned how to use AI to identify individuals and develop this system to significantly reduce processing time – allowing 10 people to pass through in just 14 seconds without waiting for their turn.”
The service allows passengers to pass in groups rather than one by one.
“In this new phase, we are transitioning to an advanced system, which does not rely on documents or any other procedures – just facial recognition, using pre-existing data.”

How system works?
The service will see an area the lounges equipped with multiple cameras capable of capturing faces from any angle.

“This method has greatly simplified the process for us, especially with the expected 8 per cent increase in the number of travellers in the future,” the official said, noting that the service currently offered to departing passengers only.
“The future plan is to expand this system and include arriving passengers. Travellers will need to register just once, and their data will be saved.”
Branded as ‘Unlimited Smart Travel’, the service shares similar features with the ‘Travel Without Borders’ project unveiled at GITEX Global 2024.