AAI opens 16 dynamic immigration counters at Calicut International Airport

The new facility, with dynamic signage and e-gates, can house 600 passengers at a time and aims to facilitate seamless travel

A passenger waiting for the e-gate to open after clearing her immigration at the newly set up dynamic immigration counter at Calicut International Airport, Karipur, on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) opened 16 new dynamic immigration counters at the international departure wing of the Calicut International Airport on Monday. The new immigration counters, with dynamic signage and e-gates, will be more passenger and staff-friendly.

Inaugurating the new facility, Airport Director S. Suresh said that the dynamic counters would not only speed up passenger clearance but also provide a seamless travel experience. The new immigration area can house 600 passengers at a time.

Mr. Suresh said that updating of immigration counters was one of the key steps initiated by the AAI to spruce up passenger convenience. Although the dynamic immigration facility was already available in the international arrival section, the departure wing too upgraded to the modern facility on Monday.

With dynamic signage, new counters for Indian and foreign passports, and e-visa, crew and foreign diplomats can easily be segregated for ease of the process. There will also be separate counters for wheelchair passengers and senior citizens.

Dynamic immigration counters can not only help streamline passenger queues quickly but also swap counters fast by changing the counter display by the immigration staff themselves.

Each of the 16 dynamic counters will have one e-gate attached to it for the passengers to move into the pre-embarkation security check area. The e-gates will help immigration staff to prevent the passenger from moving further without immigration clearance. The immigration officer will open the e-gate once the passenger clears the immigration check. Any breach of e-gate will raise an alarm.

Several senior officials of the AAI, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and the Bureau of Immigration, including Muneer Madampat, joint general manager for Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems; N. Nandakumar, deputy general manager for Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems; S. Sunder, joint general manager for operations; Padma, assistant general manager for electrical; and Sunitha Varghese, assistant general manager for operations, were present.