Dubai International speeds up immigration with new smart gates

Dubai Airports is promising a quicker journey through Dubai International’s Terminal 1 after installing 20 new smart gates.

The gates are positioned in the arrivals area of the terminal after 10 were installed in departures last year and are part of the airport’s UAE Innovation Month efforts.

They bring the total number of gates in the airport to 127 and reduce the average transaction time at immigration from minutes to under 15 seconds.

Dubai Airports executive vice president of technology and infrastructure Michael ibbitson said only 17 per cent of passengers use the smart gates despite them being open to UAE residents via their Emirates ID card and machine-readable passports registered with immigration authorities.

Passengers can also use the GDRFA smartphone app or their e-gate card.

In total more than 5.5 million travellers used the gates at Dubai International last year. During the same period passenger numbers at the airport, which is the world’s busiest by international passenger traffic, grew 5.5 per cent to 88.2 million.

Airport authorities expect growth of 2.4 per cent next year to 90.3 million and a return to double-digit growth by 2020.

Read: Dubai airport predicts rise in traffic after 2017 growth dips

Dubai Airports said last year unveiled a small tunnel concept that could be used in the future. This processes passengers via facial recognition and does not require them to produce any documentation.

Read: Airport ‘smart tunnels’ to speed up passport control