Dubai opens 'red carpet' biometric corridor that waives passports and boarding passes

Dubai International Airport has opened what officials describe as the world's first fully biometric border-control corridor that allows registered passengers to pass through exit checks without presenting passports or boarding passes.

The so-called "red carpet corridor," introduced in August and publicly announced in September 2025, uses artificial intelligence, biometric cameras and airline flight data to identify travellers and screen luggage, officials said. Airport authorities said the system can process groups of up to 10 people at once and cuts the time through the checkpoint to six to 14 seconds per person.

Dubai Airports developed the corridor with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in an effort to "enhance the traveller experience at Dubai International Airport," the airport said. Brigadier Walid Ahmed Saeed, assistant deputy director at GDRFA Dubai, said: "Just by walking through this corridor, you have completed your exit."

Use of the corridor requires travellers to register passport details and provide a photo before arriving at the terminal. The system is currently available only to business-class passengers departing from Terminal 3, but Dubai Airports said it plans to expand the service to arrivals and to more passenger categories and terminal areas.

Airport officials said the project was first announced in February 2024 with an expectation it would be operational before 2025, but the rollout only began in August 2025. Dubai is among a growing number of international hubs deploying biometric and AI technologies across passenger touchpoints to speed processing and automate identity checks.

Singapore Changi Airport introduced a similar biometric departure system in 2024 that allows some passengers to skip presenting passports at departure if their biometric data was captured on arrival. In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport is deploying a "Smart Travel Project" to install biometric sensors at check-in counters, immigration booths, boarding gates, VIP lounges and retail points, airport officials have said.

Andrew Murphy, chief information officer at Abu Dhabi airport, described the expanded biometric coverage as a potential world first for the scale of touchpoints covered. "We're expanding nine touchpoints and this would be a world first," he said.

Dubai’s introduction of the red carpet corridor comes as the future of Dubai International Airport (DXB) itself is under discussion. Airport CEO Paul Griffiths has said services will move to the new Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) when it opens in stages, arguing that operating two nearby major hubs is not economical. He said DWC is scheduled to open in 2032 and will not be completed until the 2050s, and that DXB’s assets will approach the end of their useful lives by then.

Officials offering the new corridor have emphasised its security screening capabilities as well as speed. They said the system integrates flight manifests and automated analysis of luggage images to flag irregular items for additional inspection. Dubai Airports said the technology will be rolled out gradually and subject to regulatory checks and privacy safeguards required by local authorities.

Airports and governments worldwide are increasingly adopting biometrics and automated identity systems to handle rising passenger volumes while attempting to maintain security standards. Industry observers say such systems can improve flow and reduce queueing, but they also raise questions about data protection, consent and the scope of biometric use. Dubai Airports and GDRFA did not immediately provide further technical details about data retention, third-party access or oversight arrangements when contacted.

For now, the red carpet corridor remains limited to a subset of travellers at Terminal 3, with broader availability and operational details to be announced as the airport expands the programme and monitors its performance, officials said.