The new Terminal A at Abu Dhabi’s International Airport now benefits from the latest biometric systems. The technology will offer passengers a faster and smoother journey from outside the airport all the way to their departure gates.

Airport officials claim that the combination of new technologies and streamlined processes will shorten passenger processing times to 12 minutes. Self-service baggage drop-off kiosks now take just 30 seconds to navigate, while immigration and flight boarding procedures take 10 seconds and 3 seconds, respectively.

Airport executives chose four tech companies to install the biometrics services at the terminal, while Next50, an Abu Dhabi-based AI company, was responsible for integration.

Andrew Murphy, chief information officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, showcased the new systems during a recent media tour, explaining: “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”.

Eventually, the biometric systems will extend to retail areas and airport lounges through a loyalty scheme, allowing for smoother duty-free shopping, car rentals, and more.

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The expansion of biometric technology will also include more check-in desks as well as solutions for connecting flights. The new terminal currently has 14 self-service bag-drops and 17 biometric boarding gates, but at present, they are only used by national carrier Etihad Airways.

Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Terminal A can serve 45 million users per year and handle 11,000 passengers per hour. 28 airlines currently operate from the terminal, which can cater to 79 aircraft at any one time.