A technical upgrade by Australian Border Force that caused lengthy delays at Brisbane Airport is set to be rolled out to other airports, with some updates not expected to be completed until 2024.
The upgrades to SmartGates, which process travellers through passport control using facial recognition technology and ePassports, were expected to improve the system.While they are upgraded, Border Force officers have been screening each passenger manually.travellers reporting significant delaysThe Department of Home Affairs said the rollout across eight Australian international airports had begun with Brisbane and Gold Coast’s terminals.
“The first stage of the upgrade at Brisbane International Airport went live on November 7, with the remaining arrival SmartGates in Brisbane expected to be upgraded by early December 2022,” a spokesman said.The rollout of SmartGates in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Cairns, was scheduled to be completed in 2024.
Brisbane Airport was still experiencing delays on Thursday, as the system trials continued and Border Force officers processed travellers. The delays came as the Gold Coast opened its new international terminal, which included a Queensland-NSW border marked in the tiles of the floor at the baggage carousels, as part of a $260 million expansion that doubled the size of the airport.