Government is giving serious consideration to employing a temporary fix to the
congestion problem in the arrivals lounge at the VC Bird International Airport
especially on days when large international flights arrive within minutes of each
other as happens on the weekend.
To this end the Cabinet heard a report from technicians from the Immigration
Department and the Tourism Authority accompanied the principal of a technology
company called ZEN, which is interested in providing a fix for reducing the
waiting time for passengers arriving Antigua, especially on weekends.
It was noted that passengers arriving into Antigua and Barbuda are required to
complete an E/D Card (Embarkation/Disembarkation Card) which is handed to an
Immigration Officer along with the passenger’s passport; the Immigration Officer
swipes the barcode within the passenger’s passport and then double checks to
determine if the data provided by the written card matches the passport data.
The passenger is usually asked how long and where he/she intends to stay. The
improved system which the technology firm proposes would have all the
information inputted by the passenger as many as 48 hours before arriving
Antigua, freeing the Immigration Officers at the V.C. Bird International from
treating long lines of waiting passengers.
Those arriving at the airport would swipe their passports, submit to a camera, and
proceed to Customs. The Cabinet considered the cost and the border security
concerns before thanking the firm for its presentation. No decisions were taken.
However, Information Minister Melford Nicholas explained that this measure, if
implemented would be a temporary arrangement as a more permanent fix to the
problem has been requested from Canadian Bank Notes, the company that supplies
the Antigua and Barbuda machine readable passports and other sensitive
documentation.
Nicholas said this system that CBN will provide will make for easier access to
other critical information as they will be located on platforms provided by CBN.
He could not give a precise timeline when the CBN proposals will be handed in to
the government, but the preference is to remain with CBN for the permanent fix to
the congestion that will also include kiosks at the airport as well as electronic gates
all of which will reduce significantly the time spent in the waiting lines at the
airport.
