SITA and Qatar Airways launched Fast Pass, an opt-in facial biometric system, covering check-in, bag drop, security, and boarding at Hamad International Airport (HIA) as of July 2026. The system connects over 700 passenger touchpoints into a single biometric journey, allowing passengers to use their face as a boarding pass after enrolling once via the Qatar Airways mobile app or at a self-service kiosk.
Middle East Airports Accelerate Biometric Adoption
More than 43% of airports globally now use biometric-enabled boarding systems. In the Middle East, Dubai International Airport (DXB) operates the Red Carpet Smart Corridor, which utilizes Paravision’s facial recognition and emaratech technology to process over
10 passengers simultaneously. Emirates Airline installed over 200 biometric boarding cameras at DXB by 2017.
Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport implements facial recognition technology across five out of nine passenger touchpoints. Etihad Airways is currently testing facial identity verification for boarding and lounge access.
Al Maktoum International Airport, under construction to replace DXB as the world’s largest airport, plans to include AI-powered analytics and a comprehensive biometric ecosystem designed to enhance passenger flow and personalize services.
Passenger Volumes Fuel Biometric Integration
Dubai International Airport handled over 95.2 million passengers in 2025, making it the world’s busiest airport by international traffic that year. Majed Al Joker,
COO of Dubai Airports, emphasized the urgent need for consistent and measurable improvements in terminal passenger flow due to high volumes.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that switching from traditional manual identity verification to biometric confirmation can reduce passenger processing times by up to 40%.
Biometric Projects Outside the Middle East
Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in Kazakhstan is set to trial biometric passenger registration to allow independent check-in operations and electronic passport use. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Noi Bai International Airport has deployed biometric check-in kiosks at Terminal T1, processing 2,000 to 3,000 passengers daily to expedite check-ins and improve the overall airport experience.
In Nigeria,
the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is introducing V-Pass, a facial recognition biometric system developed with Verxid Technologies, supported by Barnksforte Technologies. The system includes a Central Management System for monitoring passenger movements and generating analytics as part of Nigeria’s broader airport digital transformation.
Industry Growth and Challenges
Airport Show organizers forecast the biometric technology market will reach $150.58 billion by 2030, with the airport biometrics services market growing to $276.56 billion by 2032. By 2027, 75% of airports are expected to employ biometric technologies throughout passenger journeys.
Juniper Research projects that Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs) will exceed 1.2 billion passengers globally by
2035. However, unresolved issues regarding governance, liability, funding, and ownership limit widespread interoperable biometric systems. An industry analysis noted that while biometric trials have been conducted extensively, few scalable and interoperable models currently exist.
Selim Bouri, SITA’s President for Middle East, Africa & Türkiye, said, “The way people move through airports is changing, and trusted digital identity is at the center of it. When a passenger is verified once and recognized across the whole journey, the airport runs more smoothly and the traveler stays in control of their data. Hamad International Airport has shown what that looks like at full
scale, across every major touchpoint. This is the model the industry will build on: travel that is faster and simpler because it is built on trust.”
