PM Tests Identity Verification Machine at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Bangkok: The Prime Minister tested the use of a personal identity verification machine at Suvarnabhumi Airport, increasing convenience and speed, taking less than 30 seconds per person, reducing passenger congestion. According to Thai News Agency, before departing for a mission in Los Angeles, USA, and the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Republic of Peru, Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister, who boarded the plane at Suvarnabhumi Airport, tested the use of the Biometric Identity Verification System via the Automated Border Control Machine or ABC Machine for international departing passengers to test the service system of the Immigration Bureau or IB. She also asked the relevant officials about the usage steps and problems in order to further develop the service system. For the aforementioned identity verification system, it has been open for Thais since July 1, 2024, and for foreigners since August 1. The average time per person to pass through the ABC machine is only 23 seconds per perso n, which helps reduce passenger density very well. The Immigration Bureau has provided the service in both the arrival and departure areas, all 3 zones, a total of 72 machines, divided into 16 machines for arrivals and 56 machines for departures. For the process of using the machine, passengers simply scan their passports, airline tickets, and finally scan their faces, and they can pass through the ABC machine conveniently and quickly. However, passengers must remove their glasses and masks before scanning their faces for safety and to verify their identities more clearly. The Director-General of Airports of Thailand reported that in the fiscal year 2024 (October 2023-November 2024), there will be a 19.2% increase in passengers, with the top 5 international tourist destinations being China, India, South Korea, Russia, and Japan. The winter flight schedule is expected to have a maximum of approximately 7,000 passengers per hour, with the capacity of the international passenger terminal for arrivals being app roximately 7,140 people per hour and for departures being 5,500 people per hour. In addition, automated systems have been introduced, including 196 Common Use Self Service (CUSS) and 50 Common Use Bag Drop (CUBD) which began operating in October 2020, reducing the waiting time and check-in process from an average of 20 minutes to less than 1 minute. Other systems include the passenger identification system, automatic boarding gate system, and automatic passport control system (70 departures, 52 arrivals, total 122 sets), reducing the waiting time and passport control process from an average of 15 minutes to less than 2 minutes. The latest Automated Biometric Identification System (Biometric) with Facial Recognition technology will be available from November 1, 2024, reducing the time required to verify identity at various touch points, such as check-in and baggage loading, from an average of 3 minutes to 1 minute. For the Midfield Satellite building, Suvarnabhumi Airport has been honored as one of the 6 mo st beautiful airports in the world (The World's Most Beautiful Airports) and has also been nominated for the Prix Versailles award from UNESCO.