Comments
Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi on Saturday became the country’s first airport to offer a fast-track immigration facility for Indian passport holders and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the ‘Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) ‘by unveiling dedicated counters for travellers at Delhi airport’s Terminal 3.
The FTI-TTP, a government initiative, is designed to provide Indian nationals and OCI cardholders with a faster, easier, and more secure travel experience, according to information provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The TTP allows Indian passport holders and OCI cardholders to use e-gates and bypass regular immigration queues to enjoy a smoother journey, said Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airport Infrastructure Limited. Terminal 3 has eight electronic gates, four each for arrival and departure, to ease the rush at the airport.
The first-of-its-kind facility in India is available for pre-verified travellers only, both arriving and departing.
“This initiative underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing travel convenience and efficiency for all,” said the Ministry.
The MHA, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and the Bureau of Immigration developed the roadmap for the FTI-TTP. The concept is similar to the Global Entry Program offered by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
“We at DIAL are very proud to join hands with the Government of India for launching the FTI-Trusted Traveller Programme at Delhi Airport. This programme will offer a world-class and seamless travel experience to all international passengers opting for this facility,” said Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of DIAL.
Interested passengers can apply through the government website www.ftittp.mha.gov.in. The registration process for FTI-TTP may take up to one month. Applicants must ensure their passports have at least six months of validity at the time of application.
Membership of the programme will be co-terminus with passport validity.
The Delhi airport connects 80 domestic and 70 international destinations. In Q4 of FY24, passenger traffic was 19.2 million, a surge of 8.2% year over year. The overall FY24 figure stood at 73.7 million, an uptick of 12.8 % year over year.
Comments
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.