FTI-TTP aims to facilitate international mobility with faster, smoother and secure immigration clearance. The provision has been made for Indian citizens and foreigners holding Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards.

In September last year, the Union Home Minister amit shah expanded it to five airports including Kozhikode, Tiruchirappalli, Amritsar, Lucknowand Thiruvananthapuram. This brought the total number of airports with the system to 13, including major ones such as Mumbai, Delhi, BengaluruAhmedabad and Hyderabad. The technology uses automated electronic gates to expedite the immigration of previously verified passengers.

While inaugurating five new airports last year, Shah had said: “Travellers will no longer experience long queues and manual checks and will receive immigration clearance in just 30 seconds without any delays.”

Currently, Pune airport operates four flights to Bangkok and Dubai, serving approximately 30,000 passengers a month. Last year, Pune airport witnessed a considerable increase in international traffic, over 3.38 lakh passengers as compared to about 2.05 lakh the previous year, which is an increase of 65 per cent.

Frequent travelers welcome the prospect of faster immigration processing. Vinay Sawant, a Bhosari-based industrialist who frequently travels abroad, shared his frustration with the current situation. “There have been occasions when only one or two immigration counters were open, causing delays. And I have seen how efficiently this system works at airports in other countries. Pune definitely needs this as soon as possible.”

Sawant added: “After long-haul flights, travelers naturally want to get home quickly. But the limited availability of immigration counters adds more time. Therefore, the introduction of Fast Track system would reduce the waiting time and ultimately improve the passenger experience.”

An immigration official, who asked not to be identified, pointed to an operational challenge that added to the delays. “After an international flight lands, it cannot leave its parking lot until all passengers have cleared customs control. This is a security measure due to cases of smuggling incidents where contraband, such as gold, was hidden inside the planes. Even cleaning teams must wait for clearance from authorities before starting their work,” he said.

With only 10 parking spaces available, Pune airport has occasionally faced situations where incoming flights could not get landing clearance because there were no vacant spaces. With these challenges, the implementation of FTI-TTP could significantly alleviate congestion.

The Fast Track system can be accessed through ftittp.mha.gov.in. Registration involves filling out an online form and uploading the necessary documents. Biometric data is collected at the Regional Foreigners Registration Office or during the first visit to the airport after registration.

“The FTI-TTP system is very good fastand there is very little waiting time. Passengers must first place their boarding pass and then their passport, allowing them to enter through e-gate 1, after which they must verify the biometric data at e-gate 2 and the immigration process is complete,” an airport official said. However, those travelers who may be required by law enforcement authorities and courts to join investigations may be suspended from this program even after registration.