Dubai International Airport has introduced a new passport control initiative called ‘Unlimited Smart Travel,’ allowing some passengers to travel without stopping for identity verification. This major development aims to enhance the immigration process and is launched in conjunction with the ongoing Dubai AI Week.

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) – Dubai has implemented this service in the First and Business Class lounges at Terminal 3. According to the GDRFA, this initiative utilizes advanced AI technologies for facial recognition and identity verification.

The GDRFA emphasized that the service aligns with its vision to improve travelers’ quality of life and enhance the efficiency of travel procedures. The Directorate described the initiative as a “qualitative leap” in smart mobility, stating that it boosts travelers’ trust in smart systems and increases throughput capacity from one traveler to 10 individuals simultaneously. This advancement aims to enhance customer and staff satisfaction while reducing service steps and expediting passage through travel gates.

During the AI Innovations Conference, Lt Gen Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the GDRFA, announced the new technology that makes the immigration process ten times faster. However, specific details about the upgrades were not disclosed. A senior official from the Directorate explained that the new service leverages data from the smart tunnel initiative, which was first launched in 2020. They highlighted that their experience with the smart tunnel has informed the use of AI to identify individuals, significantly reducing processing time—allowing ten people to pass through in just 14 seconds without waiting.

The system is designed to allow passengers to pass through in groups rather than one by one. The official noted that this new phase transitions to a system that does not rely on documents or other procedures, utilizing only facial recognition with pre-existing data.

The service will feature multiple cameras in the lounges that can capture faces from any angle. The official remarked that this method simplifies the process, especially with an expected 8 percent increase in travelers in the future. Currently, the service is available only to departing passengers, but there are plans to expand it to include arriving passengers. Travelers will need to register just once for their data to be saved.

The ‘Unlimited Smart Travel’ initiative shares similarities with the ‘Travel Without Borders’ project, which was unveiled at GITEX Global 2024, further demonstrating Dubai’s commitment to innovative travel solutions.