IATA admits DNRD as advisory member of Simplifying Passenger Travel group

International Air Transport Association (IATA), the official airline trade association that controls approximately 280 airlines globally, has made Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) an advisory member of it's Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT) group. SPT is an IATA initiative to bring together key parties involved in the passenger's journey and its members include frequent passengers, leading airlines, airports, immigration control authorities and technological suppliers.

The DNRD is the first immigration body in the Middle East to be accorded this status by IATA, in recognition of its innovative electronically-operated passport control system, e-Gate, that allows card-operated access to registered passengers. SPT's aim is to create smooth solutions for passenger movement at airports without compromising on security and safety issues.

Following IATA's invitation, DNRD made presentations on the e-Gate project at IATA meetings in Vancouver, Canada and Tokyo, Japan. IATA officials were impressed with DNRD's eGate system, especially its advanced security screening procedures which use fingerprint scanning for identification. This is in line with SPT's initiative of focussing on facilitating a passenger's journey, while emphasising the security benefits of processing 'known' passengers automatically, thereby freeing-up resources to concentrate on 'unknown' passengers.

"We are honoured to be the first immigration control body in the Arab World to be a part of SPT. The membership to IATA's SPT group marks the biggest recognition to our e-Gate project," said Colonel Saeed bin Belailah, Director of DNRD. "It is a great honour, because IATA is the apex body that looks after aviation policies in so many countries. We are proud to be included in this select group that shares concepts and ideas on how to make airports and air travel safer across the globe. Like SPT, DNRD also aims to improve the passenger travel experience by replacing repetitive checks of passengers and their documents with a new streamlined system that is time- and cost -efficient". 

In its intimation to DNRD, IATA has commended eGate for accelerating passport controls while strongly focusing on security measures through fingerprint scan, by clearing 'known' passengers and conserving the resources for screening 'unknown' passengers. The net result, according to IATA, is enhanced customer satisfaction, more efficient use of recourses and smaller manpower.

"The IATA honour will motivate us to work harder to apply the eGate concepts more extensively and also extend it to more passengers," added Colonel bin Belailah. "Dubai airport is poised for a dramatic growth over the next years and DNRD has to keep updating its processes to handle an increasing number of people. This membership of IATA's SPT initiative will allow us exposure to other passport control and security clearance systems. Apart from recognition for our eGate system, we have a lot more to gain from this membership to the select SPT group."

Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Lootah, IT Director, DNRD, said: "The IATA recognition crowns the efforts of the DNRD team to give shape to a revolutionary passport control system. eGate has been hailed by all types of travellers and we are proud of this achievement because eGate has been mainly developed in house by our IT Department, through the use of best of breed technologies. We are one of only three airports in the world to use this system. As an advisory member of the SPT group DNRD will be able to project the UAE as a developed country that is fully geared to leverage technology for easing passengers' lives and detecting frauds."