As per the Vision-Box’s native head Ricardo Vieira, he stated that the advent of the Biometrics will play a significant momentous role for restoration of the Air traveller’s trust within the post-Covid-19 Pandemic era.
As per Ricardo Vieira, regional director Middle East & Africa, Vision-Box, “the enablement and optimal utilization of Biometrics coupled with AI, Cloud infrastructure will definitely have a core added role to offer when it comes in restoration of lost trust or in other words, enhancing the faith of Air travellers and airline arena within the prevailing coronavirus turmoil and once the globe is finally free from the clutches of the pandemic.”
Vieira further stated that: Dubai based Emirates Airlines is all in the forefront and pioneering its pathway, with the aid of a contactless airport involvement that is open for all the travellers making a journey from and through Emirates airports.
He further added that this technology was initially channelized and incorporated via Emirates way back during November 2019 and it was relaunched again during October the preceding year post there was an ease that was witnessed from the relaxation norms in coronavirus-enforced lockdowns, that has also taken on superior consequence in light of the COVID-19 and obligatory safety measures imposed from thereon.
According to the Passenger Self-confidence Tracker from Inmarsat, which was issued in November the preceding year, 46 percentage of passengers in the UAE stated that they have already taken a flight within the pandemic, comparatively to the global average of 34 percent. Only 21 percent stated security concerns and their non-willingness to opt for air travel till the succeeding year, comparatively to 35 percent globally.
Using the latest biometric technology, a blend of facial and iris recognition, Emirates travellers can get checked in for their flight, finish the immigration procedures, enter the Emirates Lounge, and boarding their flights, merely by ambling through the airport.
The various access points in the biometric path permit for a hygienic contactless travel voyage, plummeting human interaction and tapping emphasis on health and safety.
The biometric touchpoints are installed at select First, Business and Economy Class check-in desks in Terminal 3 at DXB; immigration gates including a “smart tunnel”; Emirates’ premium lounge entrance at concourse B as well select boarding gates.
Vieira, further stated that: ““The fact that you just look at the camera and the doors open and go, that created quite an excitement. Nowadays because of COVID-19 Pandemic it even has an added appealing factor which is that you don’t touch anything. The fact that you are in self-service mode and just presenting your face to a camera and you don’t need to touch anything and you won’t have an officer picking at your passport and boarding pass and then giving you it back, that’s a direct benefit.”
Emirates’ chief operating officer, Adel Al Redha also stated that: “We have always focused on providing a great customer experience at any touchpoint and now it is more vital than before to make use of technology and implement products, and introduce processes that focuses not only on fast tracking customers, but more importantly on health and safety during their travel journey.”
“The state-of-the-advanced art, contactless biometric pathway is the latest in the league of creativities that have been introduced to make sure that travelling on Emirates is a smooth voyage and provides their clients an added peace of mind.”
“We can enrol your face and after that we can say your face is your passport and your face is your boarding pass. You go through the airport, through many touchpoints, but you just need to present your face – we know who you are, we are expecting you,” added Vieira, who disclosed the plans that could be approved this quarter to develop the system further.
He added: “I think the trend in the future will be, more and more, that you don’t need to stop, you just walk through the airport because the face recognition process will become more and more accurate.”
As well as Emirates, Vision-Box, which is also behind the execution of smart gates at Dubai International Airport, is thriving upon like biometric projects at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam and at India’s Bangalore International Airport.
Vieira stated further that, once passengers provide access as well as their mutual consent to Emirates for embracing their biometric data, it will endure on the system and be utilized at any time they are travelling via the airport.
As announced previously this month, Emirates as well as Etihad Airways have partnered with the IATA to become among the initial set of airlines globally to pilot a new app to aid the commuters accomplish their travel amidst the prevailing Covid-19 boundaries. IATA Travel Pass empowers commuters to generate a ‘digital passport’ to authenticate their pre-travel test or immunization meets the necessities required of the destination.
