MONTEGO BAY, St James — A number of measures, including the use of technology, have been implemented to reduce the possibility of Jamaicans and visitors to the island experiencing delays on arrival at Sangster International Airport in St James, according to National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang.

Dr Chang gave the assurance Saturday during a tour of the airport to observe operations at both immigration, which is part of the Ministry of National Security, and Customs.

“So far, it is working very well. They have established 100 check-in points for incoming passengers, including, of course, kiosks and agents, and it all seems to be working well,” stated Chang.

“We started today using one of the specialised e-gates for Jamaicans, and that should have worked very well, which requires the Jamaican to fill out his/her C-5 form [online] and go straight to the e-gate, and immediately walk through and be out in Jamaica within less than a minute, almost,” Chang added.

He said that if anything happens to disrupt the technology there is a contingency in place “and we’ll give due notice to the passengers, as well as take the steps to ensure that when they land, they can still get through fairly quickly”.

Saturday’s tour comes as the country is seeing peak arrivals of tourists and Jamaicans from mid-December to the end of the month, which normally has an impact on the operation of the airport.

“Today is a busy day, and it is a good time to observe it. You may understand there will be six, seven commercial flights coming in, which means they will be seeing over 12,000 passengers or nearly 13,000, and there will be an hour between 2:00 and 3:00 [pm] when there will be about 2,200 passengers on the ground,” Chang said.

“In any situation, that is a challenge and can be difficult, but they have set up the operation, and it all seems to be working well,” Chang added.

Randy Stewart, a Jamaican who arrived from the US and utilised the e-gate, was elated at the experience.

He said that in the past, family members would be waiting a long time outside because the lines are long, especially when more than one flight arrived at the same time.

Stewart said the process is now quick and easy once travellers fill out their C-5 form online before arriving at the airport.

The response was pleasing to Dr Chang.

“While we were in the area you could see the passengers just walking through, literally. Even those who went to the agents were going through quickly. In that area, and of course Customs is pretty routine.”

He said the kiosks and e-gates are part of the Government’s drive to move the country’s entire administrative system to a much more efficient level through digitisation.

“So we have the kiosks and the e-gates for the general population of visitors. There are essentially two e-gates we saw today which we are just installing which are specialised for Jamaicans,” he said.

He commended Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and his marketing team for keeping visitors coming to Jamaica. He also praised the acting CEO of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) Garth Williams and his team of officers in the immigration section for doing what he described as a fantastic job and really getting passengers through the airport very quickly.

In reply, Williams thanked stakeholders, the management and Minister Chang for the support received in making their efforts a success.

“I would just want to take the opportunity to thank the entire staff of the agency for the hard work that they have been doing and continue to do. And as we do, we understand that we are the first touchpoint as you enter Jamaica. So whilst we are focusing on the security side, we are also working very hard to make it seamless,” stated Williams.

Jamaican Randy Stewart, who arrived from the US on Saturday, utilised one of two new e-gates at Sangster International Airport and was pleased with the technology. (Anthony Lewis)

National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang (right) speaking with the media following a tour of Sangster International Airport on Saturday. Looking on is acting CEO of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency Garth Williams. (Anthony Lewis)