Fast-track immigration system launched at Chennai airport – ET TravelWorld

City airport has launched the long-awaited fast-track immigration system that will allow flyers registered under the Trusted Traveller Programme to bypass long queues at immigration clearance.

Union home minister Amit Shah inaugurated the programme virtually on Thursday from Ahmedabad, at Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Chennai simultaneously. At Chennai airport, eight exclusive gates have been set up four for departing flyers and four for those arriving from different destinations.

Passengers can scan their passports and boarding passes at the gates to get past the immigration clearance. “The facility is functional from the time of inauguration. All registered passengers can make use of the facility,” a senior FRRO official said. “Passengers who want to register afresh can visit Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, and Coimbatore airports after completing the online application procedure to record their biometrics. Immigration officers will guide them,” the official added.

Registered passengers will be subjected to two-stage verification under the fast-track immigration programme. At the first e-gate, a passenger’s passport and boarding pass are scanned. Once verified, the person can proceed to the next e-gate, where his/her face is scanned. If verified, the passenger will then be authenticated as a trusted traveller, and the immigration/emigration process will be completed.

Immigration officials said that more than 1,000 people registered at Chennai’s Foreigners Regional Registration Office under the Trusted Traveller Programme. The system was first launched at Terminal 3 of the IGI Airport in New Delhi in June 2024, and Chennai was among the seven other airports selected to implement the programme.

The fast-track immigration has been planned for 21 airports across the country in a phased manner.