E-gates at Shahjalal airport set to resume operations this week

Those with e-passports will be able to complete immigration formalities by simply scanning their passports at the e-gates

E-gates at Shahjalal International Airport, which have been non-functional for a long time, are expected to resume operation within this week.

Home Advisor Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Monday that the e-gates may reopen within this week.

“The e-gates at Shahjalal International Airport will be operational soon. Efforts are under way to open the e-gates within this week.”

“Those with e-passports will be able to enter through them by simply scanning their passports. By December this year, e-passport services will be available at all Bangladesh missions abroad.”

Under the e-Passport and Automated Border Control (ABC) Management Project, the government had planned to install 50 e-gates across airports and land ports, including at Shahjalal airport.

Following 11 months of trial operations, the e-gates at the airport were officially inaugurated on Jul 7, 2022 by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP) had set up 26 e-gates: 12 for arrivals, 12 for departures, and two for VIPs, to allow e-passport holders to complete immigration checks faster than manual counters.

According to airport authorities, a passenger can place their e-passport on the scanner at the gate, which will then open automatically. The system captures an image and verifies the passenger’s data, allowing clearance within seconds.

However, soon after the launch, recurring server issues rendered the e-gates inoperative, forcing passengers to revert to manual immigration queues.

Staff expect that once restored, the system will significantly speed up the immigration process.

“Last week, we were informed by the Department of Immigration and Passports that the e-gates are being reactivated,” said Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, executive director of Shahjalal International Airport.