Cutting Travel Time, Emirates Introduces Multilingual Check-in Robot

Illustration of Emirates airline. (Wikimedia Commons/Imre Solt)

JAKARTA - Emirates airline will introduce multiple multilingual robots to speed up the passenger check-in process at Dubai airport, cut queue times and funnel more travelers through the world's busiest international hub, as the long haul airline invests heavily in the latest technology.

The airline will introduce a locally developed check-in robot in the next two months once production reaches commercial scale, with plans for more than 200 units over the next two years, Emirates Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha told reporters.

"We are the first airline in the world to have introduced or are planning to introduce a portable check-in robot... A robot that can complete all of your check-in processes, including issuing a boarding card which will be sent to your registered number or email, and facial recognition by scanning your passport," he said as quoted by The National News, April 6.

"So you will go through passport control and then go through the gate or waiting room without having to show your documents again," he continued.

The use of robots at airports, especially in passenger transfer rooms and transit rooms, would be "very helpful" in the event of a disruption or change of flights, he said.

"We're going to upgrade it and take it to a higher level where these robots will be able to connect with immigration to determine if you have the right permits to enter this country, do you have the right visas, provide hotel booking confirmations or book hotels," he said. Al Redha.

"We will take it to a higher level than check-in robots," he said.

Emirates' new check-in robot, named Sara, can perform a simple three-step check-in using a passenger's biometric identification at the airport.

The robot is AI-enabled and, in the future, will be able to assist passengers with additional services such as airport navigation, ticket booking and receiving baggage, the airline said.

Al Redha did not say how much money has been invested in this new technology. But he said the technology would help the airline cope with the increasing number of passengers using the airport's current capacity.

"Passenger demand continues to increase and we will see a minimum double-digit growth in passenger numbers in the next few years," he explained.

Emirates is known to invest heavily in digital transformation, cutting-edge technology and biometrics to enhance the customer experience, improve operational efficiency and support sustainability efforts.

"Unparalleled computing power" will also result in "leaps" in areas such as passenger data analysis, he explained.

While the use of advanced technology in the aviation industry will reduce the number of traditional jobs, it will also introduce new types of roles and increase the skills or improve the skills of some staff, he said.