An Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) is going to be installed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka to get the information of inbound and outbound passengers ahead of flights.
The electronic data interchange system will help make the country's airspace safer, officials said.
The decision to implement the system was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting in October, confirmed Civil Aviation Senior Secretary Md Mohibul Haque.
“We have sent a proposal to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). APIS could collect basic personal information from machine-readable travel documents, such as passports and visas,” said the aviation secretary.
An electronic system which can alert authorities about suspicious travellers will help the airport authority, he added.
The new electronic Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) has been developed by several ministries, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), intelligence agencies, immigration unit with the technical help of the ICAO, said CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman.
After installation of the system at the airport, it will be operated and monitored by the Special Branch (SB) of police.
CAAB will soon circulate an international tender for implementation of the system, with ICAO supervising the whole procedure and other government organizations involved as well, said Mafidur Rahman.
How to use the service and retrieve data
Once the system is introduced, airlines or vessel operators will have to send a list containing detailed information of onboard passengers, including name, address, passport number, nationality, date of birth, details of passport and visa, country of origin, destination, travel status, and other relevant information.
The information may be collected from travel documents, such as passport and visa, during the purchase of a ticket, seat reservation, or check-in.
The officials concerned will be able to check suspicious passengers based on intelligence to prevent transnational crimes and the free movement of militants and other criminals.
The system would act as an electronic database of all passengers, crew, and other airline staff entering and exiting the international airport, said the CAAB chief.
All kinds of information would be stored in an international server and the agency to run the server will get fees for every passenger according to agreement, he added.
APIS also automatically red flags suspicious passengers during departure and arrival on the basis of their movement and other parameters, and also gives a lead to officials concerned with monitoring, according to CAAB.
APIS is also capable of handling information such as the issuance of red corner notices against wanted persons and warrants issued by Interpol and other law enforcement agencies, according to airport immigration officials.
The officials hope that APIS would prove helpful in preventing instances of smuggling at the airport, as it has shown its effectiveness at other international airports.
In 2018, the government incorporated a provision of the proposed Finance Bill 2018 to introduce the sharing of information on international passengers with customs authorities of other countries in advance , in order to prevent transnational crimes and free movement of criminals.
Currently, airlines provide information about passengers to customs and immigration after arriving at their destination.