Launched in 2016, Dubz provides a baggage collection and delivery service that can be booked online at any time
You could soon be checking in your baggage from anywhere in the city to travel from Dubai Airport (DXB). That is because DXB wants to make sure that at least 25 per cent of luggage is checked in from outside the airport facility.
“We handled 24 million bags this quarter, so we’re going to exceed 100 million bags in Dubai this year,” said Ciaran O’Sullivan, DVP Airline Services UAE Airport Operations at Dnata. “If we could have 20 per cent of them, that is one in five bags, to be checked in off-site here in Dubai, the impact on customer service experience at the airport would be tenfold.”
“They satisfy thousands of customers a year but we need to get scale so that we can bring the unit price down,” he said. “By working with the RTA, the metro system, Dubai Airport, holiday companies, hotels and the masses, we can do a lot.”
Launched in 2016, Dubz provides a baggage collection and delivery service that can be booked online at any time. After being selected the winner of an aviation and travel incubator program co-founded by the Emirates Group, GE, and Dubai Tourism, the company was acquired by Dnata.
Passenger perception
According to John Dyett, Vice President of Baggage Service Delivery at DXB, ensuring proper handling of baggage is of utmost importance for the airport. “Baggage handling often defines a passenger’s perception of an airport,” he said. “We need to think what steps can airports take to minimise mishandling while enhancing speed and predictability?”
He added that the airport handles approximately 250,000 bags every day, going up to 300,000 on busy days in the first quarter of this year.
Several airports in the world have been using AI to ensure timely delivery of baggage, Dr Heba Kurdi, research affiliate of Artificial Intelligence at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), added. “There are already some airports who are utilising semi-smart sorting systems for their baggage,” she said. “We also have AI-powered simulation and digital twins that help airports to do and test operations before, like having them in real-life scenarios.”
Another expert at the event, Amel Chadli, president of Gulf Countries, Schneider Electric, called the vision of Dubai Airport “forward thinking” and something that will improve the experience of passengers.
“Dubai Airport’s push for off-terminal baggage check-in is a forward-thinking move that can ease terminal congestion, boost operational efficiency, and elevate the passenger journey,” he said. “Across the international airports we support, we’ve seen that smart automation, energy-efficient systems, and advanced distribution management are key to streamlining ground handling and enabling a seamless travel experience.”
Source : Khaleej Time
Published: 8 May 2025
