DOHA: Passengers at Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (HIA) will soon be able clear through various check points using only their faces as their passport, said a report.
The airport is working on a project which will do away with requirements for a passenger to show passport and boarding pass at airport touch points, said a report in The Peninsula.
As part of its Smart Airport Vision, HIA and global IT provider Sita have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that provides a framework for the two partners to trial and enhance innovative passenger processing solutions at HIA.
The MoU was signed by HIA Chief Operating Officer, Badr Mohammed Al Meer and Hani El Assaad, Sita President, Middle East, India and Africa, the report said.
According to the plan, passengers would be required to register their faces at the first touch point in the airport. From then onwards, the journey through the airport will be seamless as they would only need to show their face at check-in, self-baggage drop, pre-border control just prior to immigration and ultimately at the boarding gate, it said.
“HIA’s efforts towards innovation and its strategic alliances with key partners such as SITA, all contribute towards its ‘Smart Airport’ vision that was officially launched in May 2016 under the patronage of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani,” said Al Meer.
“Our aim is to empower our passengers to experience a seamless journey at their own pace, all the while keeping them informed about what matters to them most,” said he said.
It was also announced that Sita will be supplying and commissioning 62 of its next-generation common-use check-in kiosks, with bag tag printing capability. This will enhance passenger experience for self-service check-in and enable progressive deployment of self-service bag-drop facilities, it said.
El Assaad said: “We at Sita welcome the opportunity to work with a world-leading hub such as Hamad International Airport to push the boundaries of innovation to truly change the way passengers will travel in future. Our vision to make air travel easier at every step fits neatly with the Hamad International Airport’s ‘Smart Airport’ vision and together we can help reshape the future of air transport.”
