Travellers flying Emirates through Dubai can now walk from check-in to boarding without taking out a passport or phone, as the airline begins deploying more than 200 biometric cameras across Terminal 3 — part of a Dh85 million investment to speed up passenger flow and cut waiting times.
The new facial-recognition system, developed with the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigner Affairs Dubai (GDRFA), allows registered passengers to pass through check-in, immigration, lounges and boarding gates simply by looking at a camera. Emirates says the technology recognises a traveller from one metre away, allowing them to move without pausing to show documents.
Any Emirates customer — UAE resident or visitor — can register on the Emirates app, at self-service kiosks or check-in counters. Once signed up, they can use dedicated biometric lanes every time they fly from or through Dubai.
Adel Al Redha, Emirates Deputy President and Chief Operating Officer, said, “With our latest Biometrics Path development, Emirates has invested in further innovations to enhance the customer travel experience, providing remarkable speed, efficiency, and accuracy at Terminal 3 in Dubai International Airport. Since 2017, we have been working in collaboration with the GDRFA to upgrade our equipment and implement the latest technologies, ensuring that our customers enjoy a world-class, seamless journey."
Step 1: Register
Sign up on the Emirates app or at check-in. Travellers must be Emirates Skywards members, scan their passport and give consent for biometric use. Only individuals aged 18 and above can register.
Step 2: Check-in
Use facial recognition at kiosks instead of physical documents. Biometrics will soon be available for flight transfers too.
Step 3: Immigration
Use GDRFA Smart Gates at Terminal 3 to breeze through passport control. Eligible travellers include UAE citizens and residents, GCC nationals and visa-on-arrival visitors with biometric passports.
Step 4: Lounge access
Eligible passengers can enter Emirates Lounges in Concourse B via facial recognition at five gates.
Step 5: Boarding
Selected departure gates across Concourses A, B and C allow biometric boarding with no need to show a boarding pass.
If a traveller already has a biometric record with GDRFAD, Emirates matches it once they register. New visitors get a temporary profile — converted to a permanent GDRFAD record after entering Dubai — which is then used for future trips.
