Dubai airport begins using biometric tech at security

Published October 10, 2018
Passengers walk through a "smart tunnel " at Dubai airport T3 in United Arab Emirates on October 10, 2018. —AFP
Passengers walk through a "smart tunnel " at Dubai airport T3 in United Arab Emirates on October 10, 2018. —AFP

Passport control looks a little different in Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel.

That's because the airport debuted a new “smart tunnel” that uses biometric technology, instead of human checks, to allow some air travellers to complete passport control in just 15 seconds.

Passengers register at a kiosk before going through smart gates which use iris recognition to let them through.

Major General Mohammed Ahmed al-Marri, director-general at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs, called it the “latest and most unique technology” and says the project has been in development for four years.

For now, it's just business- and first-class passengers who can use the facilities.

Opinion

Editorial

Upholding rights
27 Jul, 2024

Upholding rights

EVEN a perceived threat to civil rights and freedom of expression undermines democracy; it impedes the enforcement ...
Brutal crime
27 Jul, 2024

Brutal crime

THE horrific incident of a woman allegedly gang-raped in front of her husband and three-year-old daughter near...
Back in parliament
27 Jul, 2024

Back in parliament

MORE than two years after MNAs loyal to former prime minister Imran Khan fatefully resigned from the legislature...
Judicial constraints
Updated 26 Jul, 2024

Judicial constraints

The fact that it is being prescribed by the legislature will be questioned, given the political context.
Macabre spectacle
26 Jul, 2024

Macabre spectacle

Israel knows that regardless of the party that wins the presidency, America’s ‘ironclad’ support for its genocidal endeavours will continue.