The pilot gates are fully automatic and hooked up to APPS (Advance Passenger Processing System) databases. High-tech scanners are used to check the photographs, passports details, and fingerprints of arriving Singaporean passengers.
The choice of Singaporeans to test the new system out on came about as a result of Singapore offering the same services for Thai nationals arriving at Changi Airport. The launch ceremony for the new gates on Saturday was presided over by senior officials from Thailand’s Immigration Bureau and Consular Affairs Division.
A spokesperson noted that if the gates worked well and helped cut congestion in the international Arrivals hall at Suvarnabhumi, trials might be carried out at Don Mueang Airport and Phuket Airport. 12GO ASIA notes that other governments will be able to apply for the same services, but priority is likely to be offered to countries with high proportions of visitors to Thailand every year.
Bangkok Airport opens auto arrival gates, but only for Singaporeans
News in Asia
Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport has staged an official ceremony to inaugurate the facility’s first automatic arrival gates for international passengers. The gates are being operated on a trial basis for Singaporean nationals only, but may be extended to include other nationalities in the future.