Powered by artificial intelligence and biometrics, the seamless transit project expands passenger clearance capacity tenfold with a 99% traveler satisfaction score.
DUBAI, UAE : A contactless border clearance system that allows travelers to clear immigration in under five seconds without presenting physical travel documents has won the government category of the Dubai-It Award.
Developed by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA), the “Red Carpet Travel Corridor” operates at Dubai International Airport (DXB), replacing traditional physical counters and manual passport scanning with a continuous walk-through system.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, announced the award, commending the technical and operational teams behind the project. Sheikh Hamdan noted that the initiative delivers the fastest transit clearance globally by leveraging artificial intelligence and advanced biometrics.
The corridor verifies traveler identities on the move using real-time facial and biometric recognition. Traditional airport inspection lanes typically clear one person at a time through manual or electronic barrier gates. By contrast, the Red Carpet system can process up to 10 travelers simultaneously as they walk across the designated pathway.
According to performance evaluations cited by officials, the deployment delivers measurable operational efficiencies:
- Processing time reduced to under five seconds per passenger.
- Passenger handling throughput increased by 1000% (a tenfold increase).
- A traveler satisfaction rate exceeding 99%.
- Significant reductions in terminal wait times and overall border management operating costs.
Sheikh Hamdan stated that the project embodies the core philosophy of the “Dubai-It” initiative, which encourages public sector institutions to move beyond conventional administrative frameworks and develop technological solutions that actively improve daily life.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Executive Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, noted that a city’s global economic competitiveness is tied to the frictionless flow of people and commerce. The Red Carpet project, he said, returns valuable time to travelers while dramatically expanding airport throughput without requiring physical terminal expansions.
The Dubai-It initiative was established under the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to turn breakthrough public-sector concepts into measurable operational standards across government departments.
As passenger traffic across Dubai International Airport continues to hit record volumes, GDRFA’s contactless corridor is positioned as an operational blueprint for modern international border control.
