A hi-tech airport worth £2.3 billion is all set to become the first in the world where passengers may not need to show their passport. Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport which entrepreneur Elon Musk recently praised with the words “US needs to catch up” is likely to go paperless by 2025.
The airport is launching its Smart Travel Project, which aims to equip every identification checkpoint with biometric sensors, from check-in counters to immigration booths, duty-free tills, airline lounges, and boarding gates.
Andrew Murphy, the chief information officer at Abu Dhabi Airport said: “We’re expanding to nine touchpoints and this would be a world first. It’s designed with no pre-enrollment required, passengers are automatically recognized and authenticated as they move through the airport, significantly speeding up the entire process.”
Murphy explained that anyone who arrives for the first time in the United Arab Emirates, be it residents or tourists, has their biometrics collected at immigration by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP).
The airport’s system taps into this database to verify passengers as they pass through checkpoints.
He added: “Where the real unique nature comes in is that this particular biometric solution here is to partner with ICP to utilize that data in order to make this passenger experience seamless. And that’s why everybody can use it.”
A survey by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in October 2023 found that 75 percent of passengers preferred using biometric data over paper passports and boarding passes.
For the remaining 25 percent who may be uncomfortable with the technology or prefer human interactions, Mr Murphy said that a more traditional verification process will still be available.
Other airports around the world are also relying less on paper and more on biometrics.
In the October 2023 report by IATA, 46% of respondents said they had used the technology at an airport before. However no airport is officially considered to be passport-free.
Louise Cole, head of customer experience and facilitation for IATA said: “I know there are lots of intentions to be able to get to that fully contactless biometric experience but one of the reasons the industry is so behind is that it’s hard to imagine any other consumer process that you go through where you have to stop and prove something again and again and again.”
But, there are some examples of progress, worldwide. Singapore’s Changi Airport is a frontrunner in adopting this technology. Similar to Abu Dhabi, it has collaborated with the government’s immigration authority to develop a biometric clearance system available to both residents and tourists. The system will be rolled out gradually, beginning this month.
Hong Kong International Airport, Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, and Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International have also introduced biometric terminals at various points during transit.
