Saudi Arabia Introduces Major Passport Control Change
Saudi Arabia has introduced biometric e-gate scanners at a major airport in the Kingdom.
The General Directorate of Passports launched the initial phase of e-Passport gates to streamline procedures for travellers at Terminals 3 and 4 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
The inauguration was attended by President of the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi and President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Duailej.
Director General of the General Directorate of Passports Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya and Director of the National Information Centre (NIC) Esam Abdullah Alwagait were also present.
Al Yahya highlighted that the introduction of e-gates at King Khalid International Airport aims to facilitate travellers in completing their travel procedures independently, without the need for human intervention.
Furthermore, he emphasised that these gates will save time and effort for travellers whose biometric characteristics (fingerprints) are stored in the passport systems.
تدشين أول خدمة ذاتية للجوازات على مستوى المملكة في صالة السفر الدولية رقم (3) بمطار الملك خالد الدولي؛ إسهامًا في تحقيق مستهدفات #الاستراتيجية_الوطنية_للطيران الرامية لتحسين تجربة المسافرين، وتسهيل إنهاء الإجراءات عبر #مطارات المملكة. pic.twitter.com/c7HO1zY8Ph
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Al Yahya stated that the implementation of e-gates is part of ongoing efforts to enhance travel procedures for citizens, residents, and visitors, while also improving the services provided by the directorate through the introduction of efficient smart and digital solutions.
