Cochin Airport to launch smart gates for international travellers, self-immigration process in 20 seconds

Kochi: The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) is all set to become the second airport in India to implement the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Trusted traveller Programme, facilitating seamless immigration process through self-authentication at specially designed smart gates at the immigration counters.

This state-of-the-art facility will be launched by August 2024, CIAL said on Thursday and added that it has begun an infrastructure makeover at the immigration area, dedicating eight lanes to biometric e-gates, enabling international travellers to complete the immigration process by themselves in 20 seconds.

The facility was rolled out at Delhi International Airport in June.

The MHA's Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Travellers’ Programme (FTI-TTP) aims to expedite the immigration clearance for eligible Indian nationals and foreign nationals holding OCI cards, the CIAL said in a release.

"Applicants must complete a one-time registration process on the MHA portal, upload necessary documents, and enrol biometrics (fingerprint and face image) at the Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or help desks set up in the immigration area. Upon successful validation through mobile OTP, travellers can use the smart gates, bypassing long queues at the departure/arrival immigration counters by self-scanning their passports and using the face recognition system. This eliminates the need for human interaction or fact-checking during immigration," the release said.

The Bureau of Immigration at the CIAL has already established an enrollment facility at the FRRO office within Kochi Airport premises and help desks at the immigration area. CIAL Managing Director S Suhas IAS stated that implementing FTI-TTP at the airport's immigration counter will ensure a fast, safe, and seamless process.

"CIAL is proud to collaborate with the Bureau of Immigration to facilitate fast-track biometric smart travel at our immigration counters. We understand the importance of a smooth, hassle-free travel experience and leverage cutting-edge technology at every passenger touchpoint," Suhas said.

He added that the biometric authentication process will reduce the immigration verification process time from four minutes to just 20 seconds. CIAL, the fourth busiest airport in India for international passenger traffic, handles 10 million passengers and 70,200 air traffic movements annually.

The airport has recently implemented the Digiyatra facility, developed by its in-house IT team, and has planned several modernisation projects, including the Perimeter Intrusion Detection System, to be commissioned next month. The fast-track immigration gates will be deployed this week, with testing starting on Monday, followed by the official launch by August 2024, CIAL said.