Dubai, UAE, March 11, 2015:Emirates Airline is working closely with the government authorities in the UAE to introduce more efficiencies and expediting passenger transactions at all touch points, Adel Al Redha, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Emirates Airline, said at the Future of Borders International Conference in Dubai today.

The conference has been organized by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-D) under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

With increasing number of passengers we need to find ways and means to facilitate passenger experience. We are privileged that in Dubai and the UAE we are all working with the same vision and mission which is to enhance passenger experience, Al Redha said during the session on The Future of Airline Industry.

Air travel has undergone transformation. Gone are the days when people travelled only one or few times. These days some passengers travel multiple times during the same day. Also the numbers are rising exponentially.

In such times, process barriers lower the standards. One of the ways to enhance passenger experience is to share database of, for example, frequent flyers. Airlines can share it with authorities and we can have a scenario where using a single card the passenger can enter or exit. We must do that, he said.

During the session, the speakers discussed how Advance Passenger Information (API) enhances seamless travel experience and the way air crafts in the future will change the face of travel.
Manuel Van Lijf, Director Product Innovation at Air France-KLM, said: In near future, the airport processes will be passenger centric. Air travelers have more contact points and are also more connected. They expect timely and accurate information on all platforms, they expect us to recognize their needs and also be transparent. This means that different stakeholders- the airlines, airports and security agencies should communicate with each other.

He explained that Air France-KLM, alongwith other partners, has started a project Aruba Flow aiming to establish Pre Clearance from Aruba to the US.
Paul Moultrie, Head of Marketing, AirbusMiddle East, said by 2033, there will be 91 Aviation Mega Cities in the world, accounting for 2.2 million daily long haul passengers traffic to, from and via these super hubs. Aviation mega cities are those that handle more than 10,000 travelers a da y. In 2014, there were 42 such megacities. More than 90 per cent of the travelers fly via these cities. This will be a major growth in 10 years - there were only 42 Aviation Mega Cities in 2013 with 0.8 million daily long-haul traffic and 90 per cent of long haul traffic on routes to, from and via these cities, he said. The economic contribution of Aviation Mega Cities will increase to 35 per cent of the world GDP in 2033, up from 22 per cent recorded in 2013. This means that we need to be well-equipped to deal with these numbers, he added. Fergus Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, Aer Lingus, the national flag carrier of Ireland, said the Advance Passenger Information (API) enhances the seamless travel experience and airlines expect API requirement to grow in the near future.

He said the 78-year-old airline currently collects API from passengers flying to and or from the US, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic and Turkey.
Speaking about API from an airline Wilson said the technology-oriented airline provides opportunity for its customers to provide API across many channels web, mobile, self-service and check-in.

Airlines expect the requirement for API to grow. Standard format request are key to fast, cost efficient, accurate and reliable data provision. Aer Lingus IT systems are set up for provision of API in the standard format.