To shorten airport service times, Airports of Thailand ( AoT ) will upgrade its biometric identification systems.
AoT producer Kerati Kijmanawat on Wednesday said the system has been implemented in the six major international flights operated by AoT: the Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai and Hat Yai terminals.
But the program does not yet 100 % support the use of Thai ID cards, Mr Kerati said.
He claimed that biometric identification devices will be able to accept ID cards with expiration dates that are issued to people over the age of 70 starting on January 15.
Additionally, the program may be developed to accept ID cards with names spelled in English with more than 20 words.
Mr. Kerati stated that AoT may also utilize a variety of technologies to enhance services.
During the New Year event, Dec 27 to Jan 2, Suvarnabhumi airport had 1.4 million people, an increase of 16.1 % compared to the same period last month.
The aircraft handled 7, 707 planes, an increase of 14.3 %. Don Mueang Airport had 758, 929 passengers, up 27 %, and 4, 914 flights, up 19.2 % from the same period last year.
Chiang Mai Airport had 233, 769 passengers, an increase of 19.7 %, and 1, 425 flights, a 12.1 % increase.
Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai Airport had 46, 190 passengers, up 14.5 %, and 318 flights, up 12 %.
Phuket Airport had 437, 411 passengers, up 20.4 %, and 2, 573 flights, up 20.5 %. Hat Yai Airport had 66, 092 passengers, up 18.2 %, and 448 flights, up 17.9 %.
After the challenges faced by the aircraft industry during the Covid-19 crisis, Mr. Kerati claimed that the data revealed that the number of passengers and flights had stabilized.
Suriya Jungrungreangkit, the secretary of transportation, reported a 19.7 % increase in the 2.97 million people passing through AoT’s flights during the new year as compared to the same time last year.
Of the figures, about 1.84 million were international passengers, an increase of 23.8 %, and 1.13 million were domestic passengers, an increase of 13.5 %.
During this period, all six airport service could run smoothly and without overcrowding in the passenger stations, particularly at Suvarnabhumi aircraft, he said.
The ordinary service period for an international introduction passenger was 22 minutes, and for an foreign departure, 28 minutes on average for each individual.
The company period for each home entry is about 12 hours, and for a local exit, it is 16 minutes, Mr Suriya said.