Dubai International, the world’s second busiest international airport in 2025, is trialling “red carpet” biometric technology that slashes passenger wait times in terminals by over 60%, according to the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA Dubai).
The system helps airport operators and passengers beat the queues by deploying smart cameras and biometrics to recognise and clear up to 10 passengers at the same time. It is now able to be used by other airport users, following an initial test phase in the hub’s Terminal 3.
💡 Travel pro tip: check before you queue ✈️
— DXB (@DXB) July 16, 2026
When travelling through #DXB, you can now quickly scan your passport to check if you can use the @GDRFADubai Smart Gates, or if you need to head to the Passport Control desks instead.
The Smart Gates PreCheck tool is available to use… pic.twitter.com/7T1jLvveba
Well over 26 million travellers benefitted from the Smart Gates last year. UAE and GCC nationals, UAE residents, and visa-on-arrival guests with biometric passports are all eligible to use them, both at arrivals and departures, where officials say they will “pass through passport control swiftly, typically within seconds, thanks to their enhanced features and contactless process.” (Though it’s worth noting that families with children and people under 1.2-metres tall cannot use the service).
The use of the tech at Dubai is a world-first, linking to the airport’s advanced systems including integrated flight data and AI passenger registrations. Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, told Times reporters the aim was to improve the passenger experience in the airport and “make the security process no less rigorous but far less intrusive.”
Griffiths said: “We’ve invested in camera technology, whereby you can continue to walk through a space and be verified as OK to enter or leave the country, so no passports in your hand, no gate readers, no difficulty with the whole process.”
Gulf News explains that passengers using Dubai International can already sign up to use Smart Gates via the Smart Gates Pre-Check, accessible from anywhere in the world before travel and allowing passengers to confirm their eligibility before arriving at the airport. Registration involves travellers scanning their passport photograph. In addition, travellers already in situ at DXB, can scan QR codes displayed throughout the Arrivals and Departures passport control areas to navigate to the same service.
But the “red carpet” clearance system now goes beyond even the Smart Gates in terms of performance, in some instances clearing passengers in as little as three seconds. The airport is also speeding up passenger journeys to and from the airport with the anticipated launch of Joby air taxis. After a difficult year in 2026 so far, following aviation disruption in the Middle East due to the Iran-US-Israel conflict, Dubai will be looking for ways to improve its passenger flows and throughput to retain its position at the head of the world’s busiest airport rankings.
