The Airport of Thailand (AoT) will improve its biometric identification systems to speed up service times at the airport.
AoT director Kerati Kijmanawat on Wednesday said the system has been implemented in the six major international airports operated by AoT: the Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai and Hat Yai airports.
But the system does not yet 100% support the use of Thai ID cards, Mr Kerati said.
Starting on Jan 15, he said the biometric identification systems will be able to support the use of ID cards that do not have an expiration date, which are issued for those who are 70 years old.
The system will also be developed to support ID cards with English spelling in names of more than 20 letters.
Mr Kerati said AoT will also use various technologies to improve service.
During the New Year festival, Dec 27 to Jan 2, Suvarnabhumi airport had 1.4 million passengers, an increase of 16.1% compared to the same period last year.
The airport handled 7,707 flights, an increase of 14.3%. Don Mueang Airport had 758,929 passengers, up 27%, and 4,914 flights, up 19.2% from the same period last year.
Chiang Mai Airport had 233,769 passengers, an increase of 19.7%, and 1,425 flights, a 12.1% increase.
Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai Airport had 46,190 passengers, up 14.5%, and 318 flights, up 12%.
Phuket Airport had 437,411 passengers, up 20.4%, and 2,573 flights, up 20.5%. Hat Yai Airport had 66,092 passengers, up 18.2%, and 448 flights, up 17.9%.
Mr Kerati said the data showed the number of passengers and flights had recovered to normal after the aviation business faced challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said the 2.97 million passengers travelling through AoT’s airports during the New Year period was an increase of 19.7% when compared to the same period last year.
Of the figures, about 1.84 million were international passengers, an increase of 23.8%, and 1.13 million were domestic passengers, an increase of 13.5%.
During this period, all six airport services could operate smoothly and without congestion in the passenger terminals, especially at Suvarnabhumi airport, he said.
The service time for an international arrival passenger was 22 minutes on average, and for an international departure was 28 minutes per person on average.
The service time for each domestic arrival is about 12 minutes, and for a domestic departure, it is 16 minutes, Mr Suriya said.
