You could soon be whizzing past immigration at Indian airports starting with Delhi with the Government going to introduce biometric-based immigration complete with e-gates. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on Friday announced the launch of innovative biometric registration kiosks at the international arrival pier of the airport. This expansion will further expedite the immigration process for arriving passengers.
According to DIAL, before implementing this new mechanism, visa-holding passengers arriving in Delhi without biometric registration were required to utilise the designated immigration counters, resulting in an average wait time of 4-5 minutes per passenger. During peak hours, these queues could lead to even longer delays.
DIAL said five kiosks are currently operational at the international arrival pier of the airport and it plans to add five more soon. The kiosks would be operated under direct supervision of the Bureau of Immigration (BOI).
The specially-designed kiosks for foreign nationals arriving in India with a visa where biometric information was not collected during the application process, have been set up for the first time at any airport in the country, DIAL said.
During peak hours, these queues could lead to even longer delays, it said.
DIAL said after registering biometric at the kiosk, time taken by immigration agent/ officer at the counter will be minimised by more than half, as the passengers entering India with an e-visa can now complete their biometric registration upon arrival at the kiosks and then proceed to any immigration counter for entry.
The kiosks provide a more convenient and time-saving experience for arriving passengers, especially those who were unable to complete biometric registration during the visa application process.
Speeding up these processes, especially immigration, and bringing them in line with the best global practices is key to having international hubs in India. Accordingly, a number of plans are being explored for each passenger interface to speed things up.
"The introduction of these biometric registration kiosks is among the many firsts that Delhi Airport has achieved. It represents a significant step forward in expediting the immigration process and enhancing passenger convenience, particularly for those who were unable to submit their biometrics during the visa application process," said Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, Chief Executive Officer at DIAL.
