This airport’s AI tech lets flyers fly by.
The next big red carpet isn’t at a Hollywood movie premiere — it’s at the Dubai International Airport (DXB). And its AI technology is helping flyers pass through border control more quickly than ever.
The new tech, which utilizes AI, biometric cameras and flight data to identify both passengers and suspicious-looking luggage in a range between six and 14 seconds, premiered at DXB last year solely for business class passengers departing from flights using Terminal Three, is now also available for arrivals.
The technology also allows up to 10 passengers to go through border control at the same time — which could be a major game-changer during especially hectic travel days.
Further, passengers walking this futuristic red carpet do not need to stop and present any travel documents, and instead only need to register their passport details and provide an identifying photo before they arrive at the airport.
Per The Times, Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports’ chief executive, said that the airport has “invested in camera technology, whereby you can continue to walk through a space and be verified as OK to enter or leave the country, so no passports in your hand, no gate readers, no difficulty with the whole process.”
He also emphasized the importance of making security measures less intrusive — though extensive at the same time. He added that the new technology, which has also been trialed for first-class passengers, will eventually be extended to all passengers.
“We’ve now got the camera technology to roll it out properly,” said Griffiths.
DBX has collaborated with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs on the project with the aim of elevating the overall travel experience for their passengers.
Additionally, Griffiths emphasized how much of a positive, efficient change the technology could make for airports as a whole, saying that “we just need to push the industry.”
He envisions a future where passengers just drop their bags at check-in and enter the departure lounge, sans barriers or fuss.
“The idea is that security will be very discreet, and security and immigration will be combined.”
Griffiths sees the future of this technology to be akin to a Disney World experience — with travelers stepping onto the conveyor belt and their bags appearing next to them easily, negating the need to wait at the baggage claim, though this may necessitate airport expansion for those who choose to utilize it.
“We can use our infrastructure more intelligently,” he said. “We found that if you are able to speed people up through the airport in half the time it normally takes, you’ve got the useful by-product of being able to get twice the number of people through at the same time.”