New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced the expansion of the Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) to five additional airports, significantly boosting the ease of travel and speeding up immigration processes across India.

The programme is now operational at Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Trichy, Calicut, and Amritsar airports, furthering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Speed, Scale, and Scope.”

Speaking via video conferencing at the launch, Shah said, “This scheme is not just about easing immigration but also about showcasing the transformational changes taking place in India.

It is a happy coincidence that this expansion is happening on the historic day when, 132 years ago, Swami Vivekananda gave his iconic address at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, presenting the spiritual and cultural richness of India to the world.”

Shah emphasized that the programme is a critical step toward realizing PM Modi’s vision of building a trust multiplier while leveraging advanced technology for better governance. “It is not enough to create a system; we must also ensure maximum participation so that more and more people benefit from the facility,” he said.

The Trusted Traveller Programme, which was initially launched for Indian nationals and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders, allows pre-verified passengers to clear immigration through biometric e-gates in just seconds, compared to the usual waiting time of 30 minutes. The system uses biometric data, including facial recognition and fingerprints, submitted online during registration.

Travellers can provide their biometric data either at participating airports or at the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The facility is currently complimentary and will eventually be rolled out to nearly two dozen airports across the country, making immigration clearance faster, smoother, and more secure.