Most outbound foreign travellers will be able to pass through automatic channels to quickly board planes at Suvarnabhumi airport, and relieve congestion, from next month.
Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimphadee, commander of Immigration Division 2, said automatic processing at Suvarnabhumi is currently available only for passengers with Thai, Hong Kong or Singaporean passports.
The Immigration Bureau was improving its computer programming and amending regulations so that other departing foreigners could also use automatic channels, starting on Dec 15, he said.
He expected this would increase processing of outbound travellers at Suvarnabhumi airport from about 5,000 per hour to 12,000.
Pol Maj Gen Choengron said Airports of Thailand planned to also install more automatic channels at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. Immigration officers could then be reassigned to speed up processing of inbound travellers.
Pol Maj Gen Choengron Rimphadee