Travelers flying out of Pakistan will soon experience a smoother process as the authorities plan to install new smart gates at the country’s major airports.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has invited bids from companies to install e-gates at Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad airports.
The installation of these smart gates aims to enhance the travel experience for the nearly 2 million Pakistani expatriates in the UAE, by providing a seamless, self-service immigration process. This initiative mirrors the systems already in place at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports.
“The project is designed as a self-service immigration system for airport installation to cut costs and improve passenger satisfaction. The system will be located at the arrival and departure gates, validating passengers’ identities using top-trending technologies,” stated the CAA.
“With the increasing number of passengers and recent airport expansions, this modernization of border control will enable a seamless immigration process while enhancing security.”
The UAE-Pakistan air corridor is one of the busiest, with the UAE hosting over 1.7 million Pakistanis, who make up 17% of the UAE’s population.
In 2023, more than 230,000 Pakistanis moved to the UAE for better opportunities, as reported by Pakistan’s Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) and Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), with a total of 862,625 workers going overseas, marking a 4% increase.
The CAA mentioned that the introduction of e-gates would reduce the workload on manned immigration counters and create a standardized automated immigration process, including document verification and personal authentication, to maintain border security and integrity.
The project encompasses providing, installing, integrating, testing, and commissioning the e-gate systems, followed by operation and maintenance.
Interested local and international companies have been asked to submit their bids by August 13, 2024.
The UAE’s major airlines, including Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad, and Air Arabia, operate flights to all key destinations in Pakistan such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Sialkot, Faisalabad, and Multan. Recently, Flydubai added Islamabad and Lahore to its list of destinations on July 1.
