THE National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe), featuring a newly upgraded autogate facility, has now been fully implemented at Penang International Airport (PIA), marking a major step forward in streamlining passenger clearance procedures.
Penang Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the full rollout of the system went smoothly since operations commenced at 6am today, despite flight traffic remaining at normal levels.
“The user acceptance test was successfully completed yesterday (Feb 11), and as of today, the new autogate system is fully operational and open to international visitors.
“Between 6am and 3pm today, more than 1,800 passengers comprising both Malaysians and foreign tourists utilised the facility for arrivals and departures,” he said during a press conference after inspecting the system at PIA in Bayan Lepas today.
Also present were Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) Penang commander Zuhair Jamaludin and Penang Global Tourism (PGT) chief executive officer Ooi Chok Yan.
Wong noted that congestion had previously been a common issue, with queues often extending beyond the designated counter areas.
“However, observations today showed a significant improvement, with waiting lines now much shorter and properly contained within the gazetted zones of both the arrival and departure halls,” he said.
Wong explained that for departures, foreign travellers from 72 countries are eligible to use the autogate facility, while arrivals are open to visitors from 64 selected countries, in addition to all Malaysian citizens.
“Passengers entering Malaysia for the first time, or those encountering technical issues such as older passports or damaged passport chips, are required to undergo manual processing at the immigration counters to enable biometric data registration,” Wong added.
Currently, five autogate units are operating at the departure hall and six at the arrival hall.
A second phase of implementation is planned for later this year, which will see the number of units in each section expanded to 12.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix courtesy of YB Wong’s office