DXB SLASHES PASSENGER WAIT TIMES
New technologies at the Dubai International Airport, including the Smart Gate and a sophisticated motion sensor system, have brought down passenger wait times by 10% in the first quarter of this year
dubai — New technologies at the Dubai International Airport (DXB) have seen passenger wait times drop by as much as 10 per cent during the first quarter of 2017.
According to the Dubai Airports, in the first three months of 2017, 84 per cent of transfer passengers were processed within five minutes, 68 per cent of arrival passengers were processed within 15 minutes, and 87 per cent of departing passengers were processed within 10 minutes.
Among the new technologies cutting transaction times and queues is Smart Gates, which allow travellers to use Emirates ID cards to pass through automated immigration gates, each of which now take an average of 10 to 15 seconds per passenger. Over 1.3 million users have taken advantage of the service since it was introduced last year.
The free service is available at 120 Smart Gates across DXB. Launched last year, the system can quickly, accurately and efficiently confirm the identity, travel plans and eligibility of UAE residents to enter and depart the country.
The second technology behind shorter wait times is a sophisticated motion sensor system that allows the airport to track queues in real time. The system consists of a series of 530 sensors that have been installed at crucial passenger processing areas in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 at DXB. The sensors track the movement of people, collecting and computing valuable data like passenger wait times and queue lengths, and based on those factors, calculating the prevailing level of service.
The data is conveyed via a simple mobile application in use by more than 5,000 operational staff across Dubai Airports, airlines, and control authorities working at the airport. The mobile application alerts all teams in real time and allows the Dubai Airports operational staff to quickly identify bottlenecks and facilitate the deployment of resources to address them. Terminal 2 implementation is slated to take place during 2017.
“This automated system provides us with timelier and more accurate data more quickly than the manual system that was used previously,” said Frank McCrorie, senior vice-president of Operations at DXB. “As a result, the operations team and other organisations that work across the airport now have a bird’s eye view of bottlenecks, allowing them to better manage staffing levels and lanes.”