CIAL to launch smart gates for travellers, self-immigration in 20 secs

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 ..