Shawdesh desk:

Smart technology is shaping Dubai’s future. Soon, your face will be your cash; you commute in a flying taxi and zoom past smart gates for public transport. What’s the next big innovation?

Dubai residents can travel through the airport without passports, visas or any travel documents in the near future. That is according to integrated solutions provider Emaratech, who are at the technology exhibition Gitex that kicked off in Dubai on Monday.

The company is working closely with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai (GDRFA) to make this project a reality.

“When a traveller reaches the airport, we will have their data up front,” said Ahmed Bahaa, the product manager for the seamless check-in service at Emaratech. “We will have the details of their flight and visa in our system.”

At the check-in counter, travellers will undergo a streamlined process where their photos are captured, and their facial features are scanned. Their comprehensive travel itinerary and information will be furnished, and they will be facilitated to check in their luggage.

“Their photos will be then used throughout the travel experience,” said Ahmed. “When they reach immigration, instead of going to the counter, they will be able to head directly to the smart gate. Again, at the smart gate, they don’t need to present any travel documents as their photo and face ID are all the proof that is required.”

Once they pass through the immigration counter, travellers will be able to head to the duty-free, where their facial recognition and biometrics will verify their identity. The same will be applicable at the boarding gate, too.

“As long as your security check is clear and there are no fines or issues with your visas, travel will be a cakewalk for people flying out of Dubai airport,” he said.

Systems being put in place

However, Ahmed could not give a timeline on how soon these measures will be rolled out. “As of now, the smart gate is already in place for immigration at Dubai airport,” he said. “However, for check-in and boarding gate, we are still in talks with Emirates airlines, Dubai Airport and immigration authorities. As you can imagine, this will require multiple agreements and a lot of checks and balances, so we are still working on it.”

Ahmed further clarified that Emaratech provides all the hardware and systems needed to make this a reality. “We have put in place all integrations to make it a seamless experience for travellers,” he said. “Hopefully, you will be able to see it in place in airports soon.”

In September, officials from Emirates airline said that by the end of the year, the airline will be in a position to facilitate passenger check-in through their own identity into boarding the aircraft.

Dubai Airports has been working on the project, utilising the latest biometric technology. The system is currently undergoing trials at the Dubai International Airport.

Last year, the first phase of a similar biometric check-in system was rolled out at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, wherein passengers could get a boarding pass and avail of other services using their face scan.