Dubai Airports said it would welcome any effort by the US to set up a customs post for airline passengers heading to the country from the emirate.
United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) collects Secure Flight Passenger Data for flights that overfly the continentalUnited States.
"Secure Flight is a behind-the-scenes program that enhances the security of domestic and international commercial air travel through the use of improved watch list matching," A TSA spokesperson said. "Collecting additional passenger data improves the travel experience for all airline passengers, including those who have been misidentified in the past."
When passengers travel, they are required to provide their name, date of birth, gender and redress number as part of the Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD) to the airlines who then submits this information to Secure Flight, which uses it to perform watch list matching. This serves to prevent individuals on the No Fly List from boarding an aircraft and to identify individuals on the Selectee List for enhanced screening.
Once implemented, US-bound passengers would be able to avoid long lines at US airports by pre-clearing customs and immigration in Dubai, as passenger flights between the UAE and United States continue to increase.
"Dubai International is well-positioned to be the next port of call for US preclearance," the Dubai Airports said in a statement. "Any development that eases travel and improves convenience for passengers travelling between the UAE and the US is good for both markets."
Abu Dhabi International Airport has recently implemented this.
Emirates airline, which would be the major beneficiary of the plan to set up a US customs post at its hometown hub, which is also served by US carriers Delta and US Airways. US Airways flies direct flights betweenDubai and Washington DC while Delta operates to Dubai from its hub in Atlanta.
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