Smart ID plan for Suvarnabhumi

BANGKOK, 14 May 2013: Thailand’s main aviation gateway, Suvarnabhumi Airport may adopt the use of ID smart cards for Thai travellers passing through immigration by the end of this year.

Processing at checkpoints will be faster using ID smart cards than the traditional passport, although the latter will still be required at the final destination.

Airports of Thailand board chairman, Sita Divari, said the scheme was being discussed with Immigration Bureau and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials on  replacing passports with ID smart cards to reduce queues at checkpoints.

“Using smart card will speed up the process to around 10 seconds per person, which  could ease congestion at the airport,” he said.

Thai citizens represent no more than 5% of all international travellers passing through the airport. They would still need passports once they left the country and critics will say it could cause confusion. Some travellers may assume they will not need a passport at all.

The proposal is on the table, but far from finalised. The airport has installed automatic passport checkpoints for Thai citizens, a system that is now working efficiently. There was a long learning curve and a reluctance to use the unmanned gates, but the immigration bureau hired personnel to assist passengers.

It now takes less than a minute to go through the checkpoint. It requires Thai citizens to insert their passport in a reader, have their face identified by camera and their finger print verified by the database before the gate opens.

Foreigners still need to go through the manned checkpoints, but there was a plan to introduce automated checkpoints for nationalities that have bar coded passports.

Considering the investment in passport reading checkpoints, authorities may differ on whether it is worthwhile to install readers for ID card. Also the Foreign Ministry will still need to issue passports for travel as smartcard IDs are not universally accepted.

The new smart card IDs are in both Thai and English, but international treaties on travel still require a passport and this is unlikely change as long as visas are required and need to be stamped on to a passport page.

“Immigration departure and arrival cards for Thai citizens could also be phased out, and that would save document printing costs of around Bt20 to Bt30 million a year.”

However that would also require a revision of immigration laws.

AoT estimates 60 million visitors will pass through Suvarnabhumi Airport causing congestion as the facility was designed to handle no more than 45 million passengers a year.

A second expansion phase at the airport will cost Bt65 billion. Construction should start next March and be completed in 2016.

Once completed, the second phase will be give the airport an overall annual capacity of 60 million passengers.

It includes a four-level terminal, expansion of the south tunnel, installation of high voltage power and water supply systems, a waste collection system, and a solid waste management system.

Sourced: ttrweekly