Passport ID Card Update: Air travel can be exciting, but the process of catching a flight can be quite a hassle. From searching your bag for a passport to retrieving your ID or ticket at each checkpoint, it’s a time-consuming task. But what if you could avoid all this stress and go through check-in, immigration, and boarding without showing your passport, ID, or ticket? This could soon become a reality at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport. In this article, we will share all the details regarding this development.
Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport Set to Change Air Travel
According to CNN, Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport is planning to change the way we travel with its new Smart Travel project. By 2025, advanced biometric sensors will be installed at every checkpoint, from arrival to departure, across the airport. This technology aims to make travel faster, safer, and easier.
🚨BYE-BYE PASSPORTS, HELLO FACE SCANS
Facial recognition technology is revolutionizing travel, with airports worldwide testing passport-free systems.
Countries like Finland, Canada, UAE, and India are piloting digital systems, while Singapore has fully implemented them for… pic.twitter.com/Tcv5b399C2
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 27, 2024
A Faster and Easier Travel Experience
“The system doesn’t require pre-enrollment. Passengers are automatically identified and authenticated as they enter the airport, making everything much faster,” said Andrew Murphy, the airport’s chief information officer. “Passengers can get from the curb to the gate or retail area in less than 15 minutes. It’s impressive to move through such a large airport in such a short time.”
Using Biometrics to Simplify the Process
The technology is already in use in some parts of the airport, especially for flights with its partner airline, Etihad. When people arrive in the UAE for the first time, whether as residents or tourists, their biometric data is taken at immigration by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP). The airport uses this data to verify passengers as they move through different checkpoints, making the process quicker and simpler.
Changi Airport in Singapore, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, and Heathrow Airport in London are leading the way in implementing biometric systems for seamless, passport-free travel.🛫 #changi #zayed #heathrow #airport #airlines #passport #news #breakingnews pic.twitter.com/c2ynZsxTQM
— VisaGuide.World (@visaguideworld) August 21, 2024
Most Passengers Prefer Biometrics Over Paper Documents
In an October 2023 survey by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), 75% of passengers said they would prefer using biometric data instead of paper passports and boarding passes.