By Joshua Trias
Dubai, UAE – Now, travelling from Dubai International Airport is a breeze – literally.
This city that never has a dull moment recently launched a fast-track airport control system that requires nothing less than showing your face in front of a camera at the check-in counter and voila! You’re ready to fly.
Using the most advanced biometric technology which combines facial and iris recognition, you can check in, consummate immigration procedures, be in the airport lounge for some coffee and on to the boarding gates without having to show your passport at every step of the way.
And if this is not exciting enough, latest word has it the Dubai International Airport will, in the future, be doing away with immigration terminals – that most cumbersome part of travelling.
“People will be able to stroll through the airport to complete all formalities. The time taken to complete immigration formalities will solely depend on how fast an individual is able to walk,” Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) was quoted by local media as saying.
Eight registration terminals have been set up at the first and business class check-in counters of Emirates Airlines.
According to GDRFA, 122 smart gates in the departure and arrival areas of Dubai Airports have been set up, reducing passport control procedures to about nine seconds. Pre-registration is required.
