SUPPLIED

The airport experience will soon be entirely contactless thanks to work by an Abu Dhabi-based technology company. In the future, passengers will use biometric information, such as face scans, in place of boarding passes, passports, and any other documents necessary to fly, according to Next50, whose Smart Path project is currently in its first phase. Identity-related security services provider Idemia in France and Swiss aviation IT firm Sita are working together on the project. The airport's various "touchpoints" will initially use Next50, which combines artificial intelligence with cutting-edge biometric technology. Some of them are self-service baggage checkpoints, electronic entry points, and boarding gates. Using the technology, boarding passes and passports won't need to be exchanged with staff at future touchpoints. Currently, Abu Dhabi Airport's e-gates use biometric data, but travelers must still show their passports. Passengers will experience a completely contactless "kerb to gate" journey once the project is finished, which will shorten lines and decrease wait times. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, initiatives like these have advanced as businesses look for contactless alternatives to routine tasks. BKM/ Expat Media
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