Passengers will enjoy passport-free travel later this year at the Terminal 3 of Dubai Airports

An official announced that later this year, travellers using Dubai Airport's Terminal 3 would be able to travel without a passport as biometrics and face recognition become new norm in international travel. The airline will be able to make it easier for passengers to check in using their own identification to board the flight, according to Adel Ahmed Al Redha, chief operations officer of Emirates. This would eliminate the requirement for passports for all travellers.

A new system will be implemented at Terminal 3 of the Dubai Airport in November, according to Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). Passengers will use their biometrics to complete all the processes.

Dubai Airports has been working on the idea for a few years, to provide travellers with a completely touchless travel experience. Speaking on the opening day of the Global Conference for Shaping Future Policies of Ports, authorities stated that rather than using passports as identification, visitors would use their faces and fingerprints as proof of identity. This would speed up and simplify transit at airports. To speed up the flow of people, they also advocated for data exchange across airports.

Conference organiser Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, gave the opening remarks, on Tuesday in Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.