Dubai’s new smart scheme will allow travellers to use smartphones as passports

Dubai has launched a new smart scheme that will enable travellers to use their smartphones in place of their passports at the Dubai International Airport.

The initiative, called Emirates Smart Wallet, is meant to further streamline travel movement across Dubai International Airport, official news agency WAM reported.

The scheme was launched at the airport’s departure terminal by Dubai’s deputy chief of Police and Public Security Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim and Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, head of Dubai’s Naturalisation and Residency Department.

Launched in its first phase, the scheme incorporates personal data, Emirates ID and passport information as well as the e-gate card data of the traveller and processes it through the smartphone.

The initiative, considered the first of its kind in the world, is aimed to lead to a large-scale project that will reduce travel clearing procedures at the airport, the WAM report added.

Dubai International Airport (DXB) remained the world’s busiest for international passengers in 2016, with annual traffic rising 7.2 per cent year-on-year to 83.6 million passengers.

Last week, Dubai Airports announced that DXB handled more than 7.6 million travellers in April alone. It also confirmed that year-to-date passenger passenger traffic reached over 30 million, indicating an increase of 7.8 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The airport is forecasting 89 million passengers this year, representing growth of about 6.5 per cent.