New Delhi: International travel is governed by global immigration laws which make it mandatory for travellers to furnish their passports and more. However, the future of international travel may change soon as global stakeholders, from airports to airlines may turn air travel totally paperless.
World’s first paperless airport?
Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Airport is aiming to turn completely document-free by 2025. Having been praised by tech mogul Elon Musk for being at the cutting edge of technology, Abu Dhabi airport will roll out the Smart Travel Project which will use biometrics and sensors on the entire passenger transit chain from the check-in counter to the immigration booth, and the lounge to the boarding gate, the CNN reported.
This project may make documents, including those used for immigration, redundant, by deploying iris scan at identification checkpoints throughout the airport. In a world first, Abu Dhabi airport plans to deploy the technology at 9 touchpoints, said the airport’s chief information officer Andrew Murphy. Travellers will be able to proceed from the main gate to the boarding gate within 15 minutes, said Murphy.
Passport-free airports in the world
Globally, many airports boast of paperless travel. However, none of the international airports are equipped to call themselves passport-free. Singapore’s Changi Airport is also planning to implement a biometric clearance system for the use of domestic and international tourists. Closer home, IGI Airport has rolled out a biometric-based check-in system for domestic passengers. Similar pilots have been carried out in the following airports:
Hong Kong International Airport
Tokyo Narita Airport
Tokyo Haneda Airport
The US has deployed biometrics on arrival at 96 airports and departure at 53 airports.
World’s first digital ID-based flight
In 2023, British Airways partnered with the IATA to offer a fully integrated digital ID flight. The international flight featured a passenger who flew from Heathrow Airport to Rome Fiumicino with a W3C Verifiable Credential encompassing their passport, visa, and e-ticket. These documents were stored in a digital wallet which was validated using the passenger’s biometric details.
International travel is expected to turn document-free since Abu Dhabi is planning to use biometrics, cutting the airport journey to 15 minutes from outer gate to boarding gate. Here’s how. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
