Thai immigration is too slow: outsourcing????

Airlines push overhaul of immigration
Call for automation, outsourcing at airport

* Published: 9/08/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

The Airline Operators Committee is calling on Airports of Thailand Plc and the Immigration Police Bureau to work together to streamline immigration operations at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Kongsak Hiranpruek, chairman of the AOC, which represents more than 80 international airlines operating out of Suvarnabhumi, said the airport did not have enough officers to handle immigration procedures.

Mr Kongsak said his committee had recommended that AoT, which operates the country's six main airports, outsource some of the immigration tasks to ease the officers' workload.

He said the AOC had asked AoT and the Immigration Police Bureau to look into whether regulations could be amended to permit the outsourcing of these duties.

The police bureau is considering introducing an electronic passport (e-passport) system using an auto-gate machine. An e-passport holder would insert the passport into a reader, press the finger scanner and the machine would then take a picture.

The system would then test whether the machine's reading matched the biometric information stored in the e-passport.

Mr Kongsak said it would be necessary to outsource immigration work while waiting for the installation of the auto-gate machines.

Suvarnabhumi director Niran Thiranartsin said the introduction of an e-passport system was being hindered by immigration rules, such as the requirement for passports to be stamped.

Stamping a passport takes much longer than verifying a holder's identity using the e-passport system, Mr Niran said, citing the efficient use of the system at Incheon International Airport in South Korea.

A Transport Ministry source said the bureau was drafting the terms of reference for the installation of the auto-gate system at Suvarnabhumi.

The bureau would amend regulations to clear the way for the full implementation of the system if it proves efficient, the source said.