This airport does not require a passport and is “revolutionary”

Have you ever imagined being at an airport without having to show your passport? Part of the experiment is at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which revolutionizes the passenger experience.

Check-in, baggage drop-off, security check, boarding…time at the airport can sometimes be long and painful for travelers who want to go abroad.

TikTok user @snydexplores, who travels the world, shared his experience at Abu Dhabi airport last June, saying it was “absolutely crazy”.

At the identity check point, the sensor simply “analyzes his face” and the passenger is “automatically registered,” the user explained.

Since November, the airport has been using advanced technology in collaboration with Idemia, which is only available to passengers on flights operated by Etihad.

According to CNN reporting, biometric sensors have been installed at every identification checkpoint at the airport, from check-in counters to boarding gates.

These biometric sensors make it possible to identify people using facial recognition or iris recognition without asking for a passport.

15 minutes and it's done!

“It is designed without any pre-registration requirement. Passengers will be automatically identified and authenticated as they pass through the airport, significantly speeding up the entire process,” Abu Dhabi Airport Chief Information Officer Andrew Murphy told CNN.

According to Abu Dhabi Airports, the airport, with a capacity of 45 million passengers, and its intelligent travel system have reduced passenger waiting times by 70%.

According to the airport page, its system consists of five steps: self-check-in, self-service bag drop, electronic registration, electronic border gate and self-boarding.

The airport's chief information officer claimed that passengers would go “from the curb to the gate in just 15 minutes,” which he told American media was completely “revolutionary.”

Even if you are a tourist and it is your first time in the UAE, you will be automatically authenticated using biometric technology, based on your data from immigration and provided to the Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Federal Authority. Port Security (ICP), he explained.

Zayed International Airport wants to deploy the technology throughout the airport, which would be a “world first”, Mr Murphy insisted.