Phuket Airport Director Monchai Tanod announced yesterday (June 11) that the airport, in cooperation with Phuket Airport Immigration, will officially launch its Automatic Border Channel (ABC) system for outbound passengers as part of efforts to improve efficiency and reduce waiting times.
The automated system is intended to help manage growing passenger numbers at the airport, which currently handles an average of 27,000-30,000 international travellers and 280-300 flights a day, even during the low tourism season.
According to Mr Monchai, passengers using the automated gates will be able to complete passport checks in less than 30 seconds, compared with about 45 seconds through conventional immigration counters.
The airport plans to install a total of 21 automated gates, with 11 scheduled to enter service tomorrow. Additional gates will be added in phases until the full system is operational.
Only passengers holding compatible electronic passports (e-passports) linked to immigration databases will be able to use the system. Travellers carrying older passports or passports from countries with limited data-sharing capabilities may still be required to use standard immigration counters.
Mr Monchai stressed that immigration procedures at Phuket Airport remain subject to government regulations and standards, and confirmed there is no policy of charging additional fees for expedited immigration processing.
Airport officials said the ABC system will also reduce the workload on immigration officers, allowing staff to focus on other passenger services while helping the airport cope with continued growth in international arrivals.
Phuket Airport served more than 17.4 million passengers last year, including over 10.8 million international travellers, underscoring its role as one of Thailand’s busiest tourism gateways.
The airport first conducted live testing of the automated passport control system on June 2 ahead of its official launch tomorrow.