Major General Talal Al Shanqeeti, Assistant Director General of the Airports Sector of Dubai Authority, explained that the number of users of the “smart corridor” introduced by Dubai International Airport has reached 330,000 passengers.
Al-Shanqeeti noted that the project has seen a significant increase in demand, with a 32% increase in the first half of this year compared to the first half of 2023.
As he stated, the “Smart Corridor” is one of the projects launched by the Department of Future Ports, with the aim of offering a good travel service to first and business class passengers at “Terminal 3”.
He pointed out that the project uses fingerprint biometric technology, which allows travelers to pass easily and quickly through the immigration area, without the need to use any documents, as the exit process is completed in a period of time that does not exceed five seconds, making this innovation. the first in the world
Regarding passengers’ passports and documents that need to be reviewed to verify their authenticity or other restrictions, Major General Al-Shanqeeti explained that the smart corridor depends on a system to verify passenger data in advance, and in the event. due to restrictions or other reasons, the passenger is taken to the smart corridor monitoring platform to process with him and complete his formalities.
Regarding the validity of citizens’ passports and the procedures followed in cases where the passport expires before the date of travel, Major General Talal Al-Shanqeeti stated that the proactive audit helped to update the systems when citizens’ passports are renewed, and the system is based on the passport reader at the check-in point, which allows boarding it prevents the issuance of the card if the passport expires.
He stated that, in addition to that, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners in Dubai launched a special initiative to remind citizens to renew their passport 6 months before it expires, that “Dubai Residency” provided the service. renewing passports immediately at the airport, if it is seen that their validity has expired hours before the trip.
Regarding the cooperation between the airport sector and airlines, to exchange passenger data and improve the quality of life of customers, Major General Al-Shanqeeti emphasized that cooperation with the strategic partner is the basis for the success of joint initiatives and projects, including Seamless. The Dubai Airport Travel Initiative, the first to strengthen collaboration between the government and the private sector, relies on biometric data to identify the passenger at all airport touchpoints.
He explained that biometric data is exchanged in a way that helps improve the overall passenger experience by reducing complications and speeding up processes, which improves their quality of life and comfort during the travel journey.
