ISLAMABAD: In a push to modernise border control and cut wait times for travellers, the country is moving towards a `one-window` airport clearance system using e-gates and smart scanners, with a joint strategy by the ministries of defence and interior coming under detailed discussion on Wednesday.

The plan comes amid growing international passenger traffic and repeated complaints of congestion at major airports. The country handled 25.4 million domestic and international passengers in 2025, up 12 per cent year-on-year, according to Civil Aviation Authority data.

Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi chaired a meeting to address the dual challenge of facilitating outbound passengers while strengthening checks against human smuggling.

Minister of State for InteriorTallal Chaudhry, Interior Secretary Muhammad Khurram Agha, Defence Secretary retired Lt Gen Muhammad Ali, Additional Interior Secretary Maj Gen Noor Wali Khan, Additional Defence Secretary Maj Gen Qaiser Suleman, Anti-Narcotics Force Director General Maj Gen Abdul Mueed, and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Dr Usman Anwar attended the meeting.

Officials agreed to ensure close coordination among all agencies at airports and to replace fragmented checks with a unified system.

`Joint checking on a single scanner by all institutions will save time and facilitate passengers, Mr Naqvi said, adding that reducing congestion and waiting times through interagency coordination is a government commitment.

It was decided that joint counters and a unified checking system will be introduced so passengers face one stop instead of multiple agency desks.

Technology upgrade Modern baggage and document scanners will be installed to speed up verification and improve detection.

E-gates that use biometric passport scanners and facial recogni-tion are set to be rolled out, cutting average immigration clearance from 3-5 minutes to under 45 seconds per passenger. An official said the phased rollout of modernisation was likely to start from Islamabad International Airport.

Progress on e-gate installation was reviewed in the meeting. The interior minister stressed that faster clearance must not weaken enforcement.

The FIA data shows over 1,200 human smuggling attempts were intercepted at airports in 2025.

Officials said e-gates will be linked with FIA`s exit control list, passenger name records, and Interpol databases to flag high-risk travel1ers in real time.

Separately, the defence secretary said modern equipment is being imported to reduce birdstrike risks at airfields. Acoustic bird deterrent systems and upgraded radar will be deployed at major airports to prevent aircraft damage and flight delays.

Frequent fliers have long flagged bottlenecks. `Immigration and ANF checks separately can take 40 minutes at peak hours. A single window would be a huge relief, said a travel operator.

Airlines also expect faster turnarounds once automated gates are in place.