Dubai’s ‘Red Carpet’ AI immigration project wins Dubai-it Award for world’s fastest processing

Dubai’s Crown Prince has presented the government category Dubai-it Award to the ‘Red Carpet’ project, an artificial intelligence-powered immigration system at Dubai International Airport that has reduced passport processing to a few seconds.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, handed the award to the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) on Tuesday 20 October 2026.

World’s fastest immigration service

The ‘Red Carpet’ smart corridor, launched in collaboration with Dubai Airports, uses AI to let passengers clear passport control without presenting any travel documents. The system can handle up to 10 travellers simultaneously, and passengers at DXB can complete entry and exit procedures in six to 14 seconds.

Sheikh Hamdan said the project had “transformed the airport experience, enabling travellers to complete entry and exit procedures in less than five seconds, making it the fastest service of its kind in the world.”

Expansion and satisfaction

Authorities plan to extend the ‘Red Carpet’ corridor at Terminal 3, making it available to both departing and arriving passengers soon. The ruler noted that the system had increased capacity tenfold and achieved a passenger satisfaction rate of more than 99 per cent.

“This is the philosophy behind Dubai-it: achieving exceptional results that change the way things are done, harnessing the latest technologies to make people’s lives easier and create experiences that exceed their expectations. Congratulations to the Red Carpet project team,” Sheikh Hamdan said.

Dubai-it award framework

Three days earlier, the leader announced the SWS Board Technology team as the winner in the economy field. The annual Dubai-it Award recognises individuals, projects, companies and institutions that embody the ‘Dubai-it’ approach, celebrating achievement while inspiring the next generation of transformative success.

On 17 June, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the ‘Dubai-it’ initiative, a model translating this philosophy into action. The concept reflects a belief that ambition has little value without execution and that speed must go hand in hand with quality.

The Dubai-it Award will be held annually from September to May to celebrate exceptional achievements. It aims to identify examples that embody Dubai’s philosophy of action, turn ambitious ideas into results, and deliver with excellence, precision and distinction in a short period of time. June, July and August will be dedicated to receiving and evaluating nominations for the following edition.

Winners are selected based on eight criteria: exceptional nature of the achievement, excellence and quality of execution, speed of achievement and efficiency of execution, embracing Dubai’s philosophy of action, turning vision into tangible results, exceptional impact, sustainability and potential for development, and clarity of the model and its inspirational role.