Singapore will launch automated lanes for all foreign tourists to hurry up travel and overtake Hong Kong as a regional hub
The state Immigration & Checkpoints Authority has announced that by the tip of the yr, all travelers to Singapore will have the option to make use of automated lanes that scan passports and use facial and iris recognition.
“Singapore may very well be the primary on the planet to permit all international travelers, including first-time visitors, to make use of automatic lanes without pre-registration upon arrival and leave without showing their passport for immigration clearance,” authorities said in a press release on Friday. .
According to ICA, these moves should reduce immigration clearance times at Changi Airport, already widely considered one of the efficient and best on the planet, by around 40%. It could also give Singapore a bonus over Hong Kong, one other vital regional air hub, where the immigration process just isn’t as automated.
To facilitate a faster immigration process, roughly 600 automatic gates have been installed at Changi Airport, Marina Bay Cruise Center and various land checkpoints.
Singapore was one in every of the primary countries in Asia to reopen after the pandemic, using vaccination lanes to permit travel between destinations in Europe and other parts of the region.
Some 5.73 million people passed through Changi Airport in March, up 23.6% from March 2023 and 1.7% greater than in 2019, before Covid closed borders and all but ended travel internationally.
The faster opening was also helpful for Singapore Airlines. The company reported record annual profit earlier this week, with continued demand for air travel and a buoyant cargo sector offsetting supply chain challenges, geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty.
