Newcastle Airport (NCL/EGNT) is getting a multi-million-pound investment in order to introduce new ePassport gates to its expanded international arrivals area.
The new international arrivals hall is on course to open in Summer 2018 and will be significantly expanded and improved and includes five brand new ePassport gates which are being installed in partnership with UK Border Force.
The self-service gates use facial and biometric recognition technology to verify the user’s identity against data stored in the chip on a biometric passport.
The new ePassport gates will be available to use for all those aged 12 or above holding UK, EEA and Swiss passports.
Unveiling the work on the arrivals hall so far, Richard Knight, Director of Operations at Newcastle International Airport, said: “I’m delighted with how well work is progressing on our improved and expanded arrivals hall and can’t wait to unveil the space, as well as the brand new ePassport gates, to our customers.
“At Newcastle, we pride ourselves on our low queue times across the airport and with passenger numbers through the terminal increasing, this expansion will play a big role in ensuring we can help passengers head home following a wonderful trip or experience all that the North East has to offer as a visitor as speedily as possible.”
Talking about the new ePassport gates, Christina Brown, Border Force Assistant Director for Newcastle International Airport, said: “Increasing the use of digital technology at the border is part of Border Force’s commitment to improve the passenger experience.
“We must protect our borders, but we also want to encourage people who boost our economy through tourism and business to travel to the UK. This means ensuring their arrival in the UK is dealt with as swiftly and efficiently as possible while maintaining the integrity and security of the UK’s border.”
Work on the new arrivals hall and ePassport gates is expected to be completed in June 2018.
