Coronavirus: Etihad trials touchless technology at check-in

System installed at Abu Dhabi airport can help screen passengers for Covid-19 before they fly

Etihad Airways is trialling touchless technology to help screen passengers at Abu Dhabi International Airport for Covid-19.

The self-service check-in system, called ‘Fit to Fly’, is designed by Australian company Elenium Automation. The technology can scan a passenger’s respiratory system, heart rate and temperature. The application uses thermal imagery, motion sensors and voice recognition.

“From an Etihad perspective, we would always encourage our guests to check-in through our web and through our app. Once you have done that, when you come to the airport, all you need to do is the ‘Fit to Fly’ and after that just drop your bags. The whole journey will be touchless,” said Attila Sagi, Technical Adviser for Hub and Midfield Operations at Etihad Airways.

“With the ‘Fit to Fly’ application, you just need to stand in front of the system and remove your mask. It will scan your health details in seconds. It is our first line of assessment,” he added.

“The application will then ask a number of questions about what you have been doing over the past 14 days and if you have a cough. You can reply with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

The system also has motion sensors, so you can move your head towards your selection and the cursor will follow your head motion. Once those questions have been answered, an algorithm will analyse the information,” Mr Sagi said.

If a passenger is given the all-clear, they can move ahead and drop their bags off. But if there’s a concern, the system will issue an alert and one of Etihad’s staff will do a secondary assessment.

The technology is currently in a trial phase and over the next few weeks Etihad will be trying it out with its guests. “This application is being used at check-in and we are looking to see how we can adopt this throughout the other stages of the journey as well,” Mr Sagi added.