Dubai International Airport hails AI efficiency boost by 'squeezing in' an extra 35 flights a day

Dubai airport's increasing use of artificial intelligence has led to more flights on time, faster turnarounds and direct revenue potential of an additional $300,000 a day at the world's busiest international hub.

DXB, which handles 1,400 flights daily, has recorded a 95 per cent on-time performance for flights after adopting AI systems, compared to about 80 per cent previously, said Bashar Dbissi, senior manager of airfield systems at Dubai Airports.

He said the higher efficiency had been achieved "by implementing AI in different touch points including passenger-processing systems, baggage processing and aircraft-handling systems," he told The National.

The use of AI and cameras to monitor ground-handling has resulted in an average reduction of five minutes per flight turnaround, or 45,000 hours annually, Mr Dbissi added.

AI projects have also helped the land-constrained airport address capacity limitations, increasing revenue by handling more aircraft and offering better passenger experience as planes depart on time.

"It gives more passenger satisfaction because if you depart on time, I generate more money and you're happy," he said. "By implementing these initiatives we can squeeze in another 35 to 42 flights per day ... so we're talking about thousands of passengers that can be squeezed into the existing capacity per day."

This results in increased direct revenue potential for the airport of about $300,000 daily, it is estimated.

Increased capacity to add more flights also gives airlines more choice and potential additional revenue, Mr Dbissi said. "We were hitting limiting on our capacity and these limits were obstacles in the way of Emirates and flydubai to accommodate their new aircraft," he said.

"We gave them the capacity to fast-track the delivery of their aircraft and fast-track new segments," he said. "We gave them, let's say, a playground to start utilising their new equipment in DXB rather than waiting for DWC," he said, referring to the terminal that will be completed in 2032 at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.

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Faster passenger processing

The airport is using advanced technology to funnel more passengers through the security and immigration checkpoints more quickly.

The so-called Red Carpet initiative allows eligible passengers to complete departure procedures within seconds and without documents. The newly introduced service has been developed by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai in partnership with Dubai Airports.

"Today it is processing about 20 per cent of the total passengers in business class and they are planning to escalate that to 80 per cent and then after that, they will roll it out to economy-class passengers," Mr Dbissi said.

The idea is to tackle all bottlenecks, from aircraft turnaround to baggage optimisation to passenger processing.

"To have a seamless journey, we need to [work on] every single touch point, from the time you come by taxi until the time you board the plane," he said. "We are working on every single touch point to make the flow faster. If you flow faster, I can process faster, I can take-off faster."

DXB is expected to handle 95.3 million passengers by the end of the year and reach the 100 million mark in the next 18 months, Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said this month.