Faster Immigration Clearance For ‘Trusted Travellers’ In The Works
The government is set to launch a “Trusted Traveller Programme” for travellers with Indian passports across international airports in the country, in a move aimed at decongesting airports by speeding up immigration checks while departing and arriving.
The programme, which allows quick immigration clearance for pre-verified travellers, will be started on pilot basis at Delhi and Mumbai airports this year and will eventually be implemented at 15 airports by 2027 and all airports by 2032, officials familiar with the development said, asking not to be named.
Three electronic gates – two for arrival and one for the departure passengers – have already been established at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport. “Trials are yet to commence,” said one of the officers.
The initiative, a second officer said, will allow Indian passport holders to use e-gates, thus avoiding the hassle of standing in a queue.
“The idea is to make the immigration clearance process simpler and quicker with the help of technology. The United States’ department of homeland security has a similar Global Entry Program, which allows for expedited security and immigration clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travellers,” said a third officer, who works in the home ministry.
The American system, to be sure, applies only to arrivals and the pre-verification process involves what the Global Entry Program’s website described as “rigorous background checks and in-person interviews”.
In India’s case, the third official quoted above, said the modalities of the verification system are yet to be worked out, as well as how passports will be stamped, as they are done when someone enters or exits India via any of the immigration checkpoints.
India is not considering opening the scheme to those with other passports for now, this person added.
The ministry of home affairs (MHA), in consultation with the civil aviation and Bureau of Immigration, has already prepared a roadmap for the “trusted traveler programme”, this officer added.
Amit Singh, an aviation expert, said the key will be for “the policy to define pre-verified travellers”.
“E-Gates are only to reduce the workload or automate the process but someone at the backend must verify and approve the passenger’s identity based on the immigration database. If the person is of interest, then the e-gate will reject the entry and the person will have to proceed to the manual counter,” he added.
As air traffic increases, Indian airports are coming under strain. Last year, several passengers flying into and out of Delhi complained about congestion at the airport. In response, the aviation ministry asked airlines to reduce flights during peak hours (between 5 am to 9 am), and the airport to have more X-ray machines, with minister Jyotiraditya Scindia carrying out multiple reviews on this intervention.
The Bureau for Civil Aviation Security has mandated that airports dealing with 10 million passengers per annum or more introduce full body scanners (FBS) by December 31. All greenfield non-regional connectivity airports will have them before the start of the operation itself.
According to aviation consultancy CAPA India, in 2023-24, air passenger traffic, including domestic and international, is expected to reach 395 million passengers.