Centre rolled out the ‘Fast Track Immigration-Trusted Traveller Programme’ (FTI-TTP) early last year and, in Sept 2025, five new airports — Lucknow, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapalli and Kozhikode — were included under the programme. With this, a total of 13 airports, which also includes Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Ahmedabad, have the system in place. The programme claims to enable faster immigration of pre-verified flyers through automated e-gates. As of now, four direct international flights operate out of Pune airport to Dubai and Bangkok, and an average 30,000 flyers use these flights every month. In 2025, the airport recorded a total of 3,38,770 international flyers against 2,05,460 in 2024 — an increase of around 65%. Flyers said the new system is much-needed in Pune. “I was through situations at this airport when just one or two counters at the immigration section were open, resulting in massive delays. If the new system cuts down on time, Pune should have it. I saw the system in airports abroad, like Dubai,” Sandesh Chauhan, a businessman based in Koregaon Park who travels abroad often, told TOI. Vimannagar resident Adwik Joshi agreed. “Pune is a fast-growing airport and is among the list of the top 10 busiest airports in the country. The new system will definitely help flyers, as they will be able to get out of the facility faster, considering the fact that international flights are long and, once the aircraft lands, flyers want to get home as soon as possible. My friends complained about only a few counters being operational at times in the immigration area, which frustrates them,” the frequent flyer and an executive with an MNC said. Sources at the airport said that after an international flight landed, it could not get out of the parking bay unless the passengers cleared customs. “All flyers need to be checked and scanned due to fears and doubts of smuggling, as there were cases in which smugglers tend to hide gold in the aircraft for someone else to pick it up during the aircraft’s domestic leg. Even the cleaning of the aircraft cannot be carried out until an all-clear comes from authorities,” an official said. Pune has 10 parking bays and faced issues of flights not getting ATC clearance to land on time due to the unavailability of bays. The FTI-TTP programme can be availed by logging on to the online portal ‘ftittp.mha.gov.in’. To enrol, applicants need to complete the online registration by filling in their details and uploading the required documents. The biometric data of registered applicants is captured either at the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) or while passing through the airport. Registered travellers need to scan their boarding passes at the e-gate, followed by scanning their passports. At both arrival and departure points, the flyers’ biometrics are authenticated and, once successful, the gates open automatically.
