Watch: Saudi Arabia launches e-gates at King Khalid International Airport

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has launched the inaugural first phase of e-passport gates at Terminals 3 and 4 of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

This initiative was launched by the General Directorate of Passports (Jawazat) on Tuesday, April 2.

The ceremony was attended by Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) President Abdullah Alghamdi, General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) President Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, Director General of Jawazat Lt. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya, and National Information Center (NIC) Director Esam Alwagait.

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Riyadh airport is the first to introduce biometric e-passport scanners for international travellers, aiming to streamline travel procedures and provide a seamless experience.

During the launch, Director General of the General Directorate of Passports Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya said that the e-gates service enables travellers to complete procedures without human intervention using stored biometric data in the passport system, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

GACA Chief Al-Duailej highlighted the importance of digitization and self-service for passports, highlighting the civil aviation system’s role in improving travellers’ experience and achieving the National Aviation Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030 goals in the Middle East.