Dubai International Airport is on track to introduce contactless immigration process in the first quarter of next year, a senior official has been quoted as saying.

"We are coordinating with other partners and the contactless process will be launched in the first quarter of 2016," Major General Obaid Muhair bin Surour, Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai, said in a Khaleej Times report.

In the first phase, departure will be without immigration counters and in the second phase it will be implemented for arrivals, Maj-Gen Surour said.

He also spoke on the possibility of completing the immigration or smart gate process on board Emirates planes before landing at Dubai International airport, the report said.

The combination of advanced passenger information, biometrics, and IRIS on the move technology (IOM) will help the seamless departures and arrivals of passengers at the airport within seconds, he said.

Maj-Gen Surour said Dubai Airport already has 125 e-gates and smart gates where departure and arrival is possible without stopping at immigration counters. Users of these gates require mandatory registration of their passport and national ID.

The smart gates are free to use by registered UAE citizens and residents. There are 20 registration stations throughout Dubai for travellers to register their biometrics for smart gate passes.