E-gates now operating at Dublin Airport

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Electronic gates that provide automated immigration clearance are now operational at Dublin Airport.

What does the change mean? Irish and other EU nationals are eligible to use the five e-gates at Terminals 1 and 2.

• Implementation time frame: Immediate.
• Who is affected: Irish and EU nationals over 18 years old holding e-passports or Irish passport cards.
• Impact on processing times: E-gates speed immigration clearance.
• Business impact: EU nationals traveling through Dublin Airport will benefit from the fast-track lanes.

Background: According to Dublin Airport statistics, traffic has surpassed 25 million passengers so far this year, an increase of 6 percent over 2016. Officials are planning expanded use of the e-gates, which use facial recognition technology to match passengers’ photos with their scanned passports, to help in handling the greater volume. A trial period ended in April, and the number of e-gates will increase to 20 in coming weeks at Dublin Airport.

BAL Analysis: Automated gates are becoming more popular at airports around the world as a way of digitally tracking passengers and freeing up airport staff. The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service is expected to roll out additional e-gates at other ports of entry, and is also leveraging technology in other automated systems such as passenger name recognition and advance passenger information.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact ireland@bal.com.

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