Chennai International Airport is all set to have the Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme, which will help facilitate immigration at the airport. Taken last month by the Centre, this step proves to be effective in de-congesting immigration counters and providing an expedited immigration route for air passengers.
Streamline Immigration at Chennai Airport
Background complaints about the long queues at immigration have prompted the Airports Authority of India to initiate preparatory work for introducing the Fast Track Immigration system at the city airport. It will have four counters each in the arrival and departure halls of the international terminal. Installation work will take a month, and the Bureau of Immigration will decide on a launch date, possibly in a few months.
How the Fast-Track Immigration System Works for Travellers
Immigration system works:
Registration: Travellers seeking to join will have to fill in their details and upload certain documents on a given portal.
Verification: On verification of the same, a list of ‘Trusted Travellers’ will be made, and all these people’s information will be fed into the e-gate systems.
Biometrics: Flyers will have to provide their biometrics at the FRRO office. This registration shall be valid for as long as the passport is valid and can be renewed.
E-gate access: At the e-gate, a traveller will scan the boarding card and the passport. The system will verify the biometrics, opening the e-gate for quick immigration.
This service comes free of charge and is expected to cut down waiting periods substantially, making travel a far more pleasurable experience.
Initial Rollout and Expansion
The Fast Track Immigration system was introduced for the first time at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in June. Chennai is one of the initial airports to get this service, after Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata. The programme will be expanded eventually to 21 other airports across the country.
Addressing passenger concerns
Passenger feedback has been instrumental in the formulation of this program. Krishna B, a recent passenger, expressed his outrage on X (formerly Twitter) over the poor staff at the immigration counters at Chennai International Airport. The new system envisions tackling such concerns by coming up with an efficient and friendly user interface for immigration.
Conclusion:
Fast-track immigration at Chennai Airport is going to redefine a passenger’s experience of international travel. Under this initiative, reducing waiting times and making the immigration process easy and hassle-free have been facilitated for all.
