Today's Edition
ALLAN JACOB (ABU DHABI)
Why carry a passport when your biometrics are proof of your identity? The day when passports will be ditched may not be too distant. It could be just five years away, according to Paul Griffiths, the CEO of Dubai Airports.
“Passports could be redundant within five years,” he said in a LinkedIn post, before making his case for airports, governments and security agencies to work together to make travel seamless and less cumbersome for people on the move.
“Your passport has an expiry date. I believe the need to carry it has one too,” he argued in the post.
The days of the passport are numbered, it’s outdated, he said, adding that digital proof is enough for people to get around without being constantly asked to prove their identity.
Airports like Abu Dhabi have already embraced the tech in full measure, and resident travellers simply need their eyes scanned to get past the e-gates.
Dubai has gone one step further by bringing the identification process to travellers in any part of the airport under a scheme known as Click & Travel.
To speed up the process for smooth travel, Griffiths said that while the technology is common, airports are not in sync. “The challenge now is getting governments, airlines, and airports to connect their systems and agree on common standards for recognising digital identities across borders.”
Passengers could leave their passports at home if airports globally simply connect to the technology and agree on modes of operation and sharing information.
“Countries will no doubt move at different speeds, but that should give us greater urgency. That same digital identity could follow you through your travels, from crossing the border to collecting a hire car and checking into your hotel.”
Currently, 181 countries issue passports with a contactless (NFC) chip. They are called ePassports or biometric passports. India, Jordan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Jamaica, Pakistan, Palestine, and Seychelles have recently introduced such passports.
