Abu Dhabi International Airport has introduced the latest biometric systems at its new Terminal A that aim to offer passengers a faster and smoother journey to their gate.
Passengers can now get from the kerb outside the terminal to their gate in 12 minutes, thanks to advanced airport technologies and streamlined processes, said airport officials.
The self-service baggage drop-off kiosks take 30 seconds, clearing immigration procedures takes 10 seconds and flight boarding at the gate requires three seconds, Andrew Murphy, chief information officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said during a media tour of the 742,000 square-metre terminal.
That compares with three immigration procedures that would take about a minute at the old terminal, he said.
“From a passenger experience perspective, passengers really enjoy the seamless nature of it. It allows you to get through the airport faster and then enjoy more time in retail or at the lounge and enjoy the whole experience,” Mr Murphy said.
Passengers worldwide are increasingly adopting the use of smart technologies to smooth choke-points along the airport journey, according to a September report by SITA, an IT provider for the air transport industry.
When asked about comfort levels with biometric identification throughout the airport journey, passengers scored an average of 7.36 out of 10 this year, up from 7.26 last year, reflecting rising demand for a smoother airport experience using technology, SITA said in its Passenger IT Insights report.
“When planning travel, cost is just one of the factors affecting travellers' willingness to book flights. Experience at the airport has become fundamental to passengers’ decision-making, and travellers are telling the industry loud and clear: the more they are subjected to clunky and inefficient processes, the more likely they are to consider other options,” David Lavorel, chief executive of SITA, said.
“Passengers are pointing to a clear way forward for the industry: now more than ever they recognise smart technologies as key to streamlining travel.”
Terminal A currently has five main biometric touchpoints. These include auto-enrolment, self-service check-in and bag drop, e-gates, immigration counters and aircraft boarding gates.
These will expand to nine touchpoints next year, extending to retail areas and airport lounges that passengers can opt into through a loyalty scheme, according to Mr Murphy. This would allow them to use their biometric profile for smoother experiences at duty-free shopping or when renting a car, for example, he said.
The expansion of biometric touchpoints around the terminal will also include adding more check-in desks as well as solutions for connecting flights.
There are currently 14 self-service bag-drop units that are mainly used by home carrier Etihad Airways. There are also 17 biometric boarding gates at the terminal.
More biometric counters for check-in and boarding will be available for passengers using other airlines at the terminal in 2024, he said.
Abu Dhabi Airports works with immigration authorities and other government entities to collect the necessary biometric data of passengers when they enter the country.
“We don't at any point take the data, we leave the data with them, but we use it for operational purposes for safety and security,” Mr Murphy said.
The auto-enrolment process applies to all UAE nationals, UAE residents and any traveller who has passed through any airport in the country over the last seven years, he said.
It will enable passengers to check-in online and use the self-serve desk at the terminal that will detect their biometrics through facial recognition.
At immigration, the system does all the necessary checks on visa and data verification.
“If all your paperwork is correct and in place, then you just simply pass straight through, there is no passport and no boarding passes,” Mr Murphy said.
“Your facial biometrics takes you through the whole journey.”
Abu Dhabi Airports worked with four technology companies to facilitate the biometrics services at the terminal, according to the executive.
Next50, an Abu Dhabi-based industrial AI company, was the systems integrator.
Aviation industry IT provider SITA was also part of the project.
Idemia provided the facial and iris recognition technologies, while Embross provided the self-service bag drop-off units.
The new terminal has a capacity to serve up to 45 million passengers a year and handle 11,000 passengers per hour.
The 28 airlines operating at the terminal together serve 117 destinations. The terminal can receive 79 aircraft at any one time.
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
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Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
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1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
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Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
