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Mozambique: New e-gates at Maputo airport to speed up processing, strengthen fight against organised and transnational crime
3:27 CAT | 14 Nov 2024
Photo: AIM
The Minister of the Interior, Pascoal Ronda, on Wednesday (13-11) inaugurated new electronic gates (e-gates) at Maputo International Airport, which will provide greater flexibility in serving passengers and help combat organised and transnational crime.
“The equipment will also make it possible to identify individuals involved or implicated in cross-border crimes or with a criminal record, and if the person is wanted in another country,” Minister Ronda said.
The minister explained that passports contain a chip specially developed for the security system that, in conjunction with the e-gates, allows passengers to pass through the airport without any direct intervention by the National Migration Service (SENAMI).
“The passport itself carries data. This data is sent to the data field to verify who this person is, whether they are wanted in another country, whether they have a history that prevents them from traveling. This equipment is a reinforcement of our security capacity,” Ronda said.
The electronic gates reduce document processing time from three minutes to 28 seconds.
Ronda explained that the airport handles approximately 2,784 flights annually, which corresponds to 58 flights per week. In terms of movement of people, Maputo airport registers the passage of approximately 270,427 national and foreign travellers annually, of which 137,582 enter and 132,845 exit.
The majority of entries are for family visits, work, tourism, business, studies, among others.
It is taking into account the data indicated above, as well as the need to strengthen security measures with a view to combating organized and transnational crime, characterized by an increasing globalization of its different forms of manifestation, that led the government to install the new equipment.
To this end, the Mozambican government and its partner, Muhlbauer, decided to install electronic gates as part of technical assistance and immigration control. The e-gates help speed up service, avoiding human and other errors.
“Staff only intervene in cases where a national citizen is refused exit or the system is inactive,” he said.
Representative of the Mozambican Airports Company (ADM.EP), Saíde Júnior, stressed that safety was of great importance to aviation in general, as it is essential for safe, economical and expeditious flights.
E-gates also enhance credibility of airports, especially on the African continent.
“ADM.EP is committed to the civil aviation community, at its highest level, in terms of safety and improvement, giving the highest priority to the allocation of resources in order to keep up with global dynamics to provide better service to passengers,” Júnior said.
Mozambique Airports advocates continuous security, minimizing security risks.
Source: AIM Moçambique
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