KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — The Immigration Department is procuring 40 additional autogates for passport control at both KLIA terminals and other major entry points in the country, said director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh.
According to The Star, the Immigration chief said the procurement is being finalised now, with the target being to install the new autogates next month.
Ruslin said the KLIA Terminals 1 and 2 only had 10 autogates at each of their arrival and departure halls, despite the expansion of their use to even more nationalities earlier this year.
“Post-Covid-19, there has been a notable increase in the number of people entering and exiting the country. This year alone, the department has recorded 34.5 million travellers, including 12.4 million foreigners travelling in and out of the country,” he was quoted as saying.
“Initially, the autogates were only meant for Malaysians. However, to prevent congestion at immigration checkpoints, it was extended to foreigners from 10 countries in February last year. This was subsequently expanded to 53 countries from June 1.”
Ruslin said the autogates were crucial to easing congestion at passport control points, as they could reduce the process to around 15 seconds per passport holder.
At Terminal 1, Ruslin said nearly nine in 10 arrivals clear passport control under 25 minutes due to the widened used of the autogates, with most being completed within 20 minutes.
