Authorities intend to construct new smart gates at Pakistan main airports, making departures from the country easier.
The country’s regulatory agency, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has invited businesses to submit bids for the installation of e-gates at Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, the nation’s three main airports.
To guarantee a smooth travel experience for travelers, e-grates have been placed at the airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The almost two million expats in the Emirates would travel more easily if smart gates were installed at Pakistan’s main airports.
“In order to save expenses and raise customer happiness, the project is designed as a self-service immigration system for airport installation. The system, which uses cutting-edge technologies to verify travelers’ identities, will be installed at the airport’s arrival and departure gates. It is designed to modernize its border control technology to facilitate a seamless immigration procedure of travelers at Pakistan airports while strengthening security processing, given the growing passenger volume and the recent airport expansion,” the CAA stated in its bids.
One of the busiest aviation routes connects the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. Approximately 1.7 million Pakistani diasporans reside in the Gulf Arab nation, making up 17% of the UAE’s total population. In the UAE, Pakistanis make up the second-largest group of international workers, behind Indians. More than 230,000 Pakistanis relocated to the UAE in 2023 in search of better opportunities.
862,625 workers left Pakistan in 2023 in search of work abroad, an increase of 4%, according to data from the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) and the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC).
According to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, the project will reduce the amount of work that human immigration counters have to undertake and create a uniform automated immigration procedure that involves personal authentication and document verification in order to preserve the security and integrity of the borders. The provision, installation, integration, testing, and commissioning of e-Gate systems, as well as operation and maintenance, are all included in the scope of services.
By August 13, 2024, interested domestic and foreign businesses are requested to submit bids by the Civil Aviation Authority.
All of Pakistan’s important travel destinations, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Sialkot, Faisalabad, and Multan, are served by the main airlines of the United Arab Emirates, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad, and Air Arabia. Islamabad and Lahore were added to Flydubai’s list of destinations on July 1.
