By Ahmed Shaaban www.khaleejtimes.com
Forget smart gates, Dubai is moving on to smart passengers, phasing out the need for rows of immigration officers and long-winded queues in the government’s latest technological conquest.
With 340,000 passengers having used the smart gates at the Dubai airports since installation early this year, the Directorate General of Residency and Foreigners Affairs said Dubai airports would progress from merely having smart gates to a ‘smart passenger’ system — a hi-tech piece of equipment adopted, according to the government entity, to save time, effort and money.
Assistant Director-General for e-Services Sector at the directorate Khalid Nasser Al Razouqi told Khaleej Times the all-new scheme, meant to enhance passenger flow and comfort, would come into effect within a maximum of 18 months. “The system shall be under study and development for one year and six months in trial, and then starts the exact implementation.”
He said the move was in line with the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who declared that a smart government must be within the reach of every user through hand-held devices. “The new smart system, under study and development, will help process arrival and departure procedures in no time and with no need for any immigration counter or officer at the airport. More info
