Smart solutions that make passenger journey seamless and more enjoyable are key to Dubai Airports’ plan to increase capacity to 118 million passengers by 2023.

Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural “Airport Solutions Dubai” at the Dubai Airshow, Jamal Al Hai, Member of Federal Council and Deputy Chairman of Dubai Airports, said the airport is leading the global charge in providing smart solutions that avoid the need for physical airport expansion.

The use of biometric smart gates to reduce entry and exit times, self-service kiosks, the world’s fastest airport Wi-Fi service, queue monitoring technology and the testing of the most advanced airport controls centre in the world, all will help the airport increase capacity to 118 million passengers by 2023, he added.

The airport expects to attract 90 million passengers this year, with a new extension phase destined to open next year. The goal is to make the airport “a city in its own right” by 2023.

Connecting transportation options, Al Hai said, was key, with innovations such as Hyperloop and drone taxi services currently believed to be under consideration to complement the city’s existing taxi, Metro and car services.