Passengers urged to register for smart gates at Dubai airport to avoid travel delays

Close to six million passengers have passed through the smart gates at Dubai International Airport this year and officials have urged more people to register for the service to avoid delays during the summer rush. The state-of-the-art biometric systems installed at the gates have eased pressure on passport control officers as more people opt to pass through the gates instead of queuing for a physical stamp at immigration. On average, about one million travellers per month have used the 122 smart gates located throughout the airport since the beginning of the year. The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) said they take just seconds to pass through and eliminate the need for passengers to show identification documents at different touch points across the airport. With the busy summer travel season in full swing, The National was invited to take a tour of a typical passenger's journey when using the airport. “We have a 50 per cent increase this year of people using the smart gates and tunnel at the airport,” said Colonel Faisal Al Nuaimi, Deputy Director Assistant for Airport Operations at GDRFA-Dubai. “About six million people have used our smart solutions this year. It has [drastically cut] waiting times at the busiest airport in the world.""<br/>