Dubai. 14 November 2017. With global passenger demand rising rapidly, making passenger journeys seamless and more enjoyable is key to successful airport operations. That was the message from His Excellency Jamal Al Hai, Member of Federal Council and Deputy Chairman of Dubai Airports, this morning as the inaugural Airport Solutions Dubai, part of the Airport Solutions global series, got under way at the Dubai Airshow 2017.
The two-day conference which focuses on bringing together the entire buying chain of the airport industry from operators and designers to airlines and solutions providers, opened with a keynote speech from HE Al Hai, highlighting Dubai Airport’s framework for increasing capacity to 118 million passengers by 2023.
Dubai Airport, he said, is leading the global charge in providing smart solutions that avoid the need for physical airport expansion, through the use of biometric smart gates to reduce entry and exit times, self-service kiosks, the provision of the world’s fastest airport Wi-Fi service, queue monitoring technology and the testing of the most advanced airport controls centre in the world.
Connecting transportation options, he said, was key, with innovations such as Hyperloop and drone taxi services currently believed to be under consideration to complement the city’s existing taxi, Metro and car services.
“As traditional passenger clearance procedures have become something of the past, we at Dubai Airports have taken it upon ourselves to search for the best smart solutions to enhance Dubai International’s reputation, especially after the airport became the number one.”
The airport expects to attract 90 million passengers this year, with a new extension phase destined to open next year and further DXB Plus technological features set to expand capacity to 118 million passengers by 2023 and make the airport “a city in its own right”.
The measures taken at Dubai are set to form an integral part of upcoming panel discussions throughout the two-day programme, with conferences on airport security, efficiency, process automation and the opportunities and vulnerabilities presented by drones in an airport environment all set to feature on the agenda.
Commenting on the opening of the Airport Solutions Dubai 2017, Portfolio Director, Timothy Hawes, said: “There is no question that Dubai Airports is leading the global charge when it comes to providing smart new solutions to take the airport experience into the future, so we are certain that we can expect some truly enlightening discussions over the course of our first programme here at Dubai Airshow. With enhancing the passenger experience a key concern for all across the airport solutions field, we have no doubt that this will prove to be a valuable and engaging event for all involved and we look forward to seeing further innovations and groundbreaking new technologies brought to light in the coming 48 hours.”
