Doha 14 Jan 2018
As many as 2,462,470 passengers used the E-gates in Hamad International Airport during the year 2017, including 1,280,564 arrivals to the country and 1,181,906 departures from the country. The system had recorded usage of 1.41 million passengers during 2016.
Major Khalid Muhammad Al Mulla, Head of Airport Passports Section said that the E-gates services provided by the Ministry of the Interior to all citizens and residents are free of charge, an innovative service that saves time and effort of the passengers without waiting for immigration queues.
He said Hamad International Airport currently has 40 electronic gates, including 19 in the arrivals lounge and 21 in the departures lounge, which facilitate the smooth entry and exit from the country. The E-gates work with identification of travellers’ vital data including fingerprints, iris scan and personal travel documents. The E-gates are easily available for the passengers in the airport with availability of the assistance by staff of Airport Security and Airport Passports departments. The electronic gates are located in a place parallel to the passport counters, which are clear to all travellers.
Qatar citizens and residents travelling via Hamad International Airport (HIA) can use e-gate facility at the entry and exit points for quick completion of passport control procedures. All residents above 18 years old with ID cards can make advantage of this facility. The procedures of using E-gates are very simple. The passenger has to place the ID card or passport on the e-reader firstly. Then the first glass barrier will be opened and the passenger will reach the middle of the gate. The system will match the data of identity with iris scan or fingerprint. Once the information got matching and verified, the gate will open automatically.
He added that the system of e-gates at Hamad International Airport has been lauded by the International Civil Aviation Organization as a distinctive model. The Ministry of the Interior is working to increase the number of e-gates at the airport to meet the expectations of travellers in adopting smart technology to complete their travel procedures at Hamad International Airport. 20 new e-gates with 10 gates in the departure lounge and 10 gates in the arrivals lounge will be opened soon. This will help the passengers to finish all procedures without reviewing any staffs.
He said that the airport passport department has opened an office next to the e-gates to activate the service using ID cards of the residents who are over the age of 18 years. He stressed that the use of the ID card does not require prior registration or payment of any fees.
The head of the airport passports department called on residents to use the electronic gates at Hamad International Airport to facilitate the completion of their travel without having to stand in front of the passport counters.
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