The event will be hosted by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) of Dubai, and will take place on March 11 and 12, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Dubai International Financial Centre.
Angela Gittens, Director General of Airports Council International (ACI) - the global body for the world’s airports with 573 members operating 1751 airports in 174 countries– will utilize the knowledge sharing platform to share her insights into the changing face of travelers’ facilitation and the challenges of border control in an increasingly mobile world.
Also sharing the podium will be Michael Herrero, Area Manager for the Arabian Gulf region at International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 250 airlines or 84% of total air traffic.
Top-ranking officials of the US, UK, Hong Kong and Netherlands immigration and border control authorities will also address the conference, bringing their valuable perspective about the issues of concern and trends which will help in chalking out the future roadmap for the borders control industry.
The event will be held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, who will also open the conference.
The conference will have five sessions, each devoted to airlines, airports, technology, government and border control sector. It will recommend the best formula to achieve a balance between the need to strengthen the security and accelerate travel facilitation while maintaining high-quality services provided to travelers at airports, seaports and land border crossings.
Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri (photo), Director General, GDRFA-Dubai, said: “The conference will pave the way for all stakeholders to develop not only borders industry, but also the travel and tourism industries and keep the momentum of cooperation and collaboration among them to smoothly implement the growth and expansion plans in line with the changing times.”
“The conference provides an ideal platform to present UAE’s successful borders management experiment and its expertise in harnessing the latest technologies, smart gates, smart travel solutions and biometric devices to accelerate and facilitate travel,” he added.
More than 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference, including Interior Ministers, Heads of Border Control Authorities, Airlines CEOs, Airports operators and representatives of international organizations such as IATA, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Airports Council International (ACI).
Emirates, the world’s largest international carrier, is the official carrier for the conference, and Zajel is the official courier for the conference.
