New automated passport control (APC) technology at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) may double passenger processing and avoid a "painful process" ahead of expected growth in the country's tourism sector.
Speaking with Guardian Business yesterday, President and CEO of Nassau Airport Development Company (NADC) Vernice Walkine said that the recent purchase of 20 APC self-serve kiosks was the next step in LPIA's modernization and would be able to accommodate the anticipated influx of visitors following Baha Mar's launch next year.
"In anticipation of a strong spring and strong summer next year with Baha Mar opening, we will have the incremental traffic caused by that opening. The [kiosks] put us in a position where we can accommodate the growth without it being a painful process.
"You're not adding a lot more passengers without growing the processing capacity. This allows us to almost double our processing capacity, so it cuts down on the time it takes quite dramatically," said Walkine.
Baha Mar is expected to bring some 2,200 rooms on stream with its slated late spring 2015 launch.
While many members of the country's hotel and tourism sectors have called for increased airlift into The Bahamas, the installation of the APC kiosks aims to address the ease of traveling.
Although Walkine would not provide a figure for NADC's investment in the new processing systems, which will service passengers departing LPIA's U.S. pre-clearance facility, she noted that they would be operational beginning in February 2015.
"It's something we're really excited about. We've been looking forward to having this installed for quite a while because it's in keeping with our goal of being a world-class airport.
"It will certainly modernize our passenger processing efforts at the airport. It has been proven to dramatically reduce the queue time and processing time for people going through pre-clearance facilities," stated Walkine.
The investment makes LPIA only the second airport in the region to implement the technology after Aruba International Airport.
Passengers eligible to use the APC kiosks include U.S. and Canadian citizens, U.S. lawful permanent residents and international travellers with Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) from 38 countries not requiring U.S. entry visas, including Australia, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Walkine additionally noted that the APC systems would not cause a reduction in customs staff, and could lead to additional jobs maintaining the new equipment.
Innovative Travel Solutions, a division of the Vancouver Airport Authority, designed the APC systems. The systems have been deployed to some of the world's busiest airports including New York's John F. Kennedy International and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.
LPIA processed 3.2 million visitors last year, and currently has the capacity to process approximately 5 million passengers annually.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian