Emirates has launched a new biometrics system at Dubai International Airport (DXB), allowing passengers to pass through check-in, security, lounges, and boarding without producing any documents.
The 200 cameras have been installed across Terminal 3 to the cost of AED85 million (US$23 million). Developed in partnership with Dubai’s General Directorate of Identity and Foreigner Affairs (GDRFAD), the cameras can identify passengers from a metre away.
To make their journeys frictionless, all travellers need to do is register on the Emirates app, or at self-service kiosks and check-in desks at the airport. They can then pass through the dedicated biometric lanes to their flight without showing a passport or any other documentation.
The cameras remember every profile, meaning passengers need only share their details once. Registration is open to Emirates Skywards members from any travel class. The only condition is that passengers have to be over 18 to use the system.
Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFAD, said:
Over the years, we have integrated artificial intelligence and biometric technologies to make travel through Dubai faster, safer, and more intuitive. Our partnership with Emirates continues this path of excellence.
Dubai International is investing significantly in tech to improve passenger processing. With 150 million travellers expected by 2032, the airport needs to think outside the box to manage visitors within its limited footrprint.
Emirates’ full biometric system adds to the airport’s existing ‘document-free’ departures corridor, which also uses biometrics to process passengers. In the future, Emirates’ hub will move to the new Dubai World Central Airport (DWC), scheduled to open in 2032 to ease congestion at DXB and eventually replace it entirely. Built across 36,000 acres, once complete DWC will be the largest airport in the world. Tech is at the heart of its proposition to process travellers efficiently, with many initiatives at DXB seen as tests for scaleup at DWC.
Emirates has made a reputation for itself as a leader in customer service. The biometrics system is yet another initiative to make its passengers’ journeys as seamless as possible, alongside deploying AI to avoid turbulence and its strategic partnerships with Uber.
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