Dubai's Smart Gates Process 9.4 Million Travellers in Six Months

Dubai's new AI-powered smart border control system has admitted 9.4 million travellers between January and June 2026, reducing immigration processing times from 12.5 seconds to just 3.4 seconds.

According to Dubai's General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), roughly 430,000 travellers also used Dubai's new Red Carpet service, which allows eligible passengers to complete immigration procedures by simply walking through a designated lane without having to present travel documents or interact with immigration officers. Powered by AI and biometric recognition, these services can process up to 10 travellers simultaneously and have reduced overall processing times by more than 60%.