20 September 2018 12:01 am
Sri Lanka’s main airport, Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), will soon get an e-gate system to speed up the immigration controls and reduce congestion.
A joint proposal by Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and Internal Affairs Minister S.B. Nawinna to set up an e-gate system, consisting of 10 e-gates at a cost of Rs.260 million, has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers this week.
The move is to provide an alternative to the present manual controls by the Immigration and Emigration Department, which regulates the arrivals and departures into and out of the country.
Majority of the people who go through BIA are Sri Lankans and their information is already electronically recorded, which makes it easier for them to use the proposed e-gates.
Foreigners who arrive in the country can also use e-gates on their departures without queuing up at immigration controls sometimes for more than 30 minutes.