NAIA biometric e-gates to begin rollout in December 2025 — NNIC

San Miguel-backed New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) announced Saturday it will start activating new biometric immigration e-gates in phases at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) starting December.

In a news release, the NNIC said the planned activation of e-gates at the country's main gateway forms part of its efforts to improve passenger processing.

The company said the e-gates are powered by Amadeus, a global travel-technology provider, and will be operated by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

The technology, the NNIC said, also forms part of an automated border-control system using passport-scanning and facial-recognition technology to reduce wait times and improve throughput, or the amount of data which passes through a system.

The e-gates are deployed in NAIA's Terminals 1 and 3—the airport's international terminals— where immigration checks are required. 

The NNIC said the first phase is scheduled to go live starting December 2025, with full deployment expected early next year.

The project combines NNIC funding with BI-provided operational components, allowing the eGates to be introduced alongside NAIA's ongoing upgrades, according to the company.

Once activated, NNIC said the system will work alongside the biometric passenger touchpoints that NNIC has been rolling out across check-in, security screening, and boarding.

"Our goal is to make each part of the airport experience more comfortable for passengers," said NNIC president Ramon Ang.

"These eGates will help reduce bottlenecks at immigration and support the broader improvements we have been introducing across NAIA," added Ang.

The NNIC said NAIA processed over 50 million passengers last year, surpassing its original design capacity. 

The NAIA operator said the introduction of automated systems would be a key step in supporting efficient passenger flow as travel volumes continue to increase. — VDV, GMA Integrated News