KOCHI: International travellers arriving at the Kochi airport could soon enjoy a seamless immigration process through self-authentication at specially designed smart gates at the immigration counters, enabling them to complete the process in just 20 seconds.
The Kochi airport, operated by Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL), will become the second airport after Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, to implement the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)'s prestigious 'Fast Immigration — Trusted Traveller Programme' (FTI-TTP). This programme aims to expedite the immigration clearance for eligible Indian nationals and foreign nationals holding OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) cards.
"Implementing FTI-TTP at CIAL'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. The biometric authentication process will reduce the immigration verification process time from 4 minutes to just 20 seconds," CIAL Managing Director S. Suhas said.
Following the roll-out at Delhi International Airport in June, CIAL has begun an infrastructure makeover at the immigration area, dedicating eight lanes to biometric e-gates. The fast-track immigration gates will be deployed this week, with testing starting on Monday, followed by the official launch next month.
To benefit, applicants must complete a one-time registration process on the MHA portal, upload necessary documents, and enroll biometrics (fingerprint and face image) at the Foreigner's Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or help desks set up in the immigration area. Upon successful verification 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 Bureau of Immigration at Cochin International Airport has already established an enrollment facility at the FRRO office within the Kochi Airport premises and help desks in the immigration area.
The Kochi airport is the fourth busiest airport in the country for international passenger traffic, handling 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.