Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw,executive chairperson and founder of Biocon, criticised the immigration process at Kempegowda International Airport, calling it a nightmare. In her tweet, Ms. Shaw said that immigration process needs to be smart and digital. Face recognition technology and biometrics should be used to make entry and exist efficient. “Presently, immigration is a nightmare at Bengaluru Airport and is ruining our city’s previous reputation of being most efficient,” she said in her message on Twitter. She has also tagged Hari Marar, Managing Director at Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) in her message.
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Her tweet garnered support from people who had similar experiences to share. Echoing her view, one person said, “This is the need of the hour especially with our ambitious plan on expanding international operations. The experience after a long haul makes us think of settling in a tier 2 city, where the exit and entry is seamless.”
A few days ago, many passengers had also posted photos of long queues at immigration and worried that it could be a source for spreading COVID-19.
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Many people who had bad experiences in the past too endorsed the need to make the process hassle free. They said that in addition to digitising the entire process, the authorities should provide proper training to staff and sensitize them.
Some also posted about bad experiences they had undergone during their travels. “I once got through immigration at Bengaluru Airport to go to the UK, the immigration officer (who was being slightly creepy) texted me privately on my Indian number as soon as I reached London. What about data privacy?” questioned a woman passenger.
Giridhara Upadhyaya, a spokesperson for the BJP, said, “Yes we have to introduce new technology but in what way Bengaluru’s reputation is ruined I do not understand (unless you are making a veiled political statement). There are many big airports in the world where you need to stand for hours for immigration clearance during peak hours.”
With effect from March 21, scheduled international operations started commencing and flights services on international routes are gradually increasing.