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Travel without queues, documents: UAE airports already offer what global passengers want
At Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport, a biometric system is being rolled out that lets travellers check in, clear security, and board without a single document
Imagine walking through an airport without reaching for your passport, printing a boarding pass, or waiting in line. You simply look at a camera, smile, and walk through. For many travellers in the UAE, that future has already arrived — with airports across the country rolling out biometric gates, AI-powered corridors, and document-free processing that let passengers move from check-in to boarding with barely a pause.
And global passengers are demanding just that. A new study by SITA, the air transport technology company, shows travellers everywhere are ready to go fully digital. Nearly 80 per cent of travellers say they would store their passports on their phones if they could. Two-thirds would pay for that convenience. And as biometric adoption grows from 155 million users today to a projected 1.27 billion by 2029, expectations are rising fast.
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“Passengers aren’t resisting change. They’ve already changed,” said David Lavorel, CEO of SITA. “They’ve gone digital. Now it’s our turn. The future of travel isn’t just about adding tech. It’s about removing friction.”
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In Abu Dhabi, that change is happening in real time. At Zayed International Airport, a Biometric Smart Travel system being rolled out in phases lets travellers check in, clear security, and board without showing a single document or interacting with staff. The system recognises faces in seconds, cutting processing times from around 25 seconds to just seven.
Dubai International Airport is also setting new standards. Its Red Carpet Smart Corridor at Terminal 3 lets passengers glide through immigration in as little as six seconds. There’s no need to show a passport or scan a boarding pass — the system quietly verifies travellers’ identities as they walk through, processing up to 10 people at once.
These innovations come as the digital generation takes control of the skies. Millennials and Gen Z — mobile-first and impatient with friction — are now the largest group of travellers. They are twice as likely as Baby Boomers to book flights through airline apps, and they expect everything from flight updates to boarding passes to live in their phones.
Airports are busier than ever, and long queues remain the biggest frustration. In SITA’s global survey, 64 per cent of passengers said they want shorter waits, while 42 per cent wish they could book their entire journey — flight, train, and ride — through one app.
Still, not everything needs to be automated. Surveys show travellers like knowing a person is nearby when things get stressful, whether it’s tagging a bag or finding a gate. The sweet spot, experts say, is blending self-service convenience with a human touch.
Biometrics, however, are fast becoming part of everyday life. Passengers already use face scans to unlock phones or fingerprints to make payments, so it feels natural to expect the same simplicity at airports, SITA said. The share of travellers who have never used biometrics has dropped sharply — from 41 per cent last year to just 31 per cent today — and nearly eight in 10 are comfortable sharing their digital identity before travel.
This aligns with IATA’s 2024 Global Passenger Survey, which found that 86 per cent of travellers are willing to share personal information in advance to speed up immigration processes.
For UAE airports, this shift is both validation and opportunity. Their investments in biometric corridors, smart gates, and AI-driven processing are not futuristic experiments — they’re what passengers have been waiting for.
Sahim Salim
As Associate Editor, Sahim Salim helps tell the UAE story like no one else does — and leads a team of reporters that asks the questions to get news and headlines that matter.
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