Emirates rolls out new biometric path for seamless travel

MANILA, Philippines — Emirates has beefed up efforts to entice more Filipinos to travel to Dubai amid the pandemic.

The Dubai-based airline said it has launched an integrated biometric path at the Dubai International Airport that provides a contactless airport experience for passengers traveling from and through Dubai.

“Filipinos traveling to Dubai can now rest even more assured as Emirates has rolled out an initiative that makes their journey through Dubai International Airport completely contactless,” the airline said.

Emirates said an integrated biometric path would give passengers a seamless travel journey from specific check-in to boarding gates, improving customer flow through the airport with less document checks and less queuing.

By utilizing the latest biometric technology for a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates said passengers can now check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates lounge, and board their flights simply by strolling through the airport.

“The state-of-the-art, contactless biometric path is the latest in a series of initiatives we have introduced to make sure that travelling on Emirates is a seamless journey and gives customers added peace of mind,” Emirates chief operating officer Adel Al Redha said.

Emirates said the Smart Tunnel, a project by the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai in collaboration with the airline, is a world-first for passport control, where passengers simply walk through a tunnel and are “cleared” by immigration authorities without human intervention or the need for a physical passport stamp.