Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) will install ten biometric kiosks in Terminal 3 to streamline arrivals processing for foreign nationals, with The New Indian Express reporting that the units will capture face and fingerprints on 15-inch screens and check them against government records before passengers reach an officer.
After completing the kiosk step, travelers will provide a single-finger scan at the desk to finalize entry, a process intended to reduce average wait times of four to five minutes per passenger and cut down on fingerprint retakes. CIAL has already floated tenders for supply and installation, with procurement details on tenderdetail indicating a five-month completion timeline.
The arrivals kiosks are being introduced alongside India’s Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP), which relies on biometric e-gates for Indian citizens and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders. Kochi already features an FTI-TTP registration kiosk in its departures hall, shown in CIAL’s official posts. National expansion of the program was announced by Home Minister Amit Shah, with the Press Information Bureau confirming that FTI-TTP now operates at thirteen airports and targets clearance times of around thirty seconds for enrolled travelers.
Within Kerala, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kozhikode are all part of the rollout. The new arrivals kiosks will focus on processing foreign nationals, while Indian citizens and OCI holders continue to use biometric e-gates once registered under FTI-TTP. Both systems will operate in parallel, with CIAL expected to implement new floor layouts and signage to prevent congestion shifting from immigration counters to the kiosks.
The project reflects India’s broader move to digitize border control and expand biometric-based systems. By combining pre-capture at kiosks with automated e-gates, authorities aim to improve throughput and reduce wait times at international terminals while scaling fast-track options nationwide.
Sources: The New Indian Express
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By Cass Kennedy
