Union Minister Amit Shah launches Fast Track Immigration at 5 more airports: ‘OCI cardholders will benefit the most’

FTI-TTP is a Central Government initiative launched in 2024 to enhance the efficiency of the immigration process for Indian citizens and those holding Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards. Under the initiative, the applicants, who have pre-registered their biometric information, can bypass long queues and use automated e-gates at the airport.

“The next stage of enhancing travellers’ convenience, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of speed, scale, and scope, starts today with this programme. PM Modi has always emphasised that, along with technological tools, we must also act as a trust multiplier, and today’s programme is a significant step in that direction,” he said.

“With the FTI-TTP, seamless immigration facilities will be available at the airports, starting today. Merely providing convenience is not enough, we must ensure that the maximum number of travellers benefit from it. To achieve this, efforts should be made to enable registration at the time of issuing passports and OCI cards,” Shah said.

Shah said that if this can be implemented, travellers will not need to return for fingerprinting or documentation, and they can travel using their passports whenever they wish. “All technical possibilities should be explored to ensure that the maximum number of people benefit from this programme. While Indian citizens will certainly benefit, OCI cardholders will benefit the most,” he added.

Shah said that the FTI-TTP is a programme that enhances both convenience and national security. “The programme was launched in 2024 in Delhi, followed by its implementation at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Kochi, and Ahmedabad airports, and today, five new airports have been added. This process is now operational at 13 airports simultaneously,” he said.

Shah said that the Centre has planned to integrate this programme with the upcoming Navi Mumbai and Jewar airports. “All those who have used this facility so far have praised it. Travellers now experience no long queues or manual checking, receiving immigration clearance in just 30 seconds without delays,” he added.

“Approximately three lakh travellers have registered on this portal, of which 2.65 lakh have utilised it during travel, and efforts should be made to continuously increase this number. Over the past 11 years, there has been a significant increase in international passenger traffic. In 2014, the number of travellers going abroad was 3.54 crore, which increased by approximately 73 per cent to 6.12 crore in 2024. Similarly, the number of foreign travellers visiting India was 1.53 crore in 2014, which rose by about 31 per cent to approximately two crore in 2024,” he said.

Shah emphasised that the goal is to ensure that all Indian citizens and OCI cardholders benefit from this facility. “Combining both figures, the total number of passengers in 2014 was 5.07 crore, compared to 8.12 crore in 2024, representing those who either arrived from abroad or travelled overseas, indicating an overall increase of 60 percent,” he added.