Passengers traveling through Singapore's Changi Airport can soon look forward to a groundbreaking development in air travel.
As part of a forward-thinking adjustment to the city-state's immigration regulations, certain travelers will no longer require a passport to navigate the airport's departure process. This transformative change will usher in a new era of seamless and secure air travel, utilizing end-to-end biometric clearance procedures.
The announcement came from Singapore's Communications Minister, Josephine Teo, during a parliamentary session.
Minister Teo revealed that starting from the first half of 2024, biometrics would play a pivotal role in the authentication process at various automated checkpoints throughout the departure journey. These checkpoints include everything from initial bag-drop procedures to immigration clearance and ultimately, the boarding of flights.
Minister Teo articulated the profound impact of this change, stating, "This will reduce the need for passengers to repeatedly present their travel documents at these touchpoints, allowing for more seamless and convenient processing."
The country anticipates a resurgence in the number of travelers visiting its vibrant financial hub, with expectations of returning to pre-pandemic levels by the coming year.
Furthermore, this growth is predicted to continue its upward trajectory in the years that follow.
Changi Airport, already renowned as the world's best airport, achieved a remarkable milestone in June by handling 5.12 million passengers. This marked a significant moment as it crossed the five-million-passenger mark for the first time since January 2020, when the global pandemic had a profound impact on travel.
This figure, accounting for 88 percent of the passenger traffic witnessed in June 2019, underscores Singapore's successful efforts in re-establishing its international connectivity.
