BANGKOK – From December 15, the automatic departure passport control lane at Suvarnabhumi Immigration Inspections will be accessible to visitors with foreign passports.
The commander of the Immigration Bureau, Pol. Lt. Gen. Itthiphon Itthisanronnachai, announced on December 11 that the automatic outbound channel system at Suvarnabhumi Airport, which has had 16 machines since 2012 and was first used to check Thai travellers, will be used to check foreign passengers on December 15.
In response to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s strategy, the Immigration Bureau upgraded the automatic system to accommodate more foreign visitors.
Suvarnabhumi Airport currently has roughly 50,000-60,000 passengers departing each day, which is a high density during the period when more than 20 flights depart each hour at the same time.
Typically, passengers must go through the check-in process, which includes security screening and immigration. If they are delayed, they may miss their flight. As a result, the Immigration Bureau is working to shorten the steps required to accelerate the discharge of a large number of travellers in order to maintain on-time boarding.
Using this method, departure passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport will be more readily checked, increasing the initial capability of inspecting roughly 5,000 departing passengers per hour to approximately 12,000 per hour. People who have court orders barring them from leaving the Kingdom, people with criminal arrest warrants, and people who overstay their welcome are all still subject to inspection by the officials.
Foreigners using the automatic channel system must have an e-passport in accordance with ICAO requirements, which include around 70 member nations. It is estimated to have a daily departure volume of approximately 30,000 people.
Furthermore, Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited will purchase an automatic channel system in July 2024 to replace the old system that has been in use for more than 12 years at the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airport immigration checkpoints, both inbound and outbound, in the international outbound section.
At Suvarnabhumi, about 80 machines will be installed, up from the original 16 machines, and 16 machines will be placed as replacements at international arrivals.
In terms of Don Mueang Airport, eight machines will be installed to replace the original four international departures and four international arrivals. There will be a more current, accurate, and efficient system than previously. This can bring in extra police to enhance the inbound passport control checks, allowing for more passenger inspections on congested flights.
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