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TOURISTS visiting Singapore Changi Airport will not need to show a passport to leave the country starting from 2024. The best airport in the world plans to implement biometrics during the immigration and boarding process.
Comprehensive biometrics for everything from immigration to bag drop and boarding are expected to speed up airport processes, according to a speech by Communications Minister Josephine Teo. The changes will be implemented in the first half of 2024 to improve the traveler experience at Changi Airport.
“Biometrics will be used to create a single authentication token that will be used across multiple automated touchpoints, from baggage drop to immigration and boarding. This will reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at these touchpoints, allowing for smoother and more convenient processing,” said Teo.
The changes will add to the biometric technology already in use at the airport. Currently, Changi uses biometric and facial recognition software in automated lines at immigration. However, tourists should still bring their passports as some people may need to show them.
This change is in line with optimistic projections that the number of tourists to Singapore, a global financial center, will return to pre-pandemic levels in the coming year, and is expected to experience continued growth thereafter.
More than 5,100 travelers passed through Changi Airport in August this year, a significant increase from 2022 when only around 3,300 passengers traveled there in the same time period, according to airport data. However, this figure is still below the figure in 2019 when 5,900 passengers passed through the airport in the same month.
The airport is renowned for its size and amenities, including the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, terraced tropical gardens, butterfly garden, cinema and more. The airport is also equipped with a rock climbing wall where tourists can get their hearts pumping while waiting for their flight.
Changi also offers a way to get out of the airport with free guided city tours for travelers with a layover of at least five and a half hours.
Singapore is adding to its aviation infrastructure by building a fifth airport terminal. Additionally, the highly anticipated high-speed rail link between Singapore and the southern Malaysian state of Johor is nearing completion, meaning cross-border connectivity and mobility will improve.
Singapore is not the only country turning to biometrics for immigration procedures. The European Union is working to implement a new Entry/Exit System (EES) to replace passport stamps with the collection of biometric data such as facial scans and fingerprint scans. [sources/photo special]
