NPRA Undersecretary reviews latest Smart Corridor technologies in Canada

On the sidelines of his participation in the 21st Symposium and Exhibition of the Traveller Identification Programme (TRIP), held at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Canada, Interior Ministry Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, reviewed the latest technologies and innovative solutions in border management, particularly Smart Corridor technology and advanced systems for detecting travel document forgery and biometric fraud.

The NPRA Undersecretary affirmed Bahrain’s commitment to keeping pace with the latest technological developments and benefiting from international practices and standards to further develop the border management system at Bahrain International Airport. He noted that these advancements improve the efficiency of security procedures and expedite passenger processing, in line with global trends toward seamless travel and efforts to provide a safe, convenient travel experience that keeps pace with the rapid growth in global passenger traffic.

He was briefed on using artificial intelligence to examine electronic travel documents and detect facial morphing attempts, which involve merging images of different individuals into a single image and could allow the same document to be used by more than one person.

He also reviewed the capabilities of Smart Corridor technology to verify travellers’ identities as they pass through without stopping at conventional checkpoints, accelerating travel procedures and improving the efficiency of border control operations.

The visit comes amid expectations of continued growth in global air travel. According to ICAO data, air passenger traffic reached around 4.6 billion passengers in 2024 and is projected to rise to 12.4 billion annually by 2050, approximately 2.7 times the 2024 level. This growth underscores the need to keep pace with technological advances and develop border management systems to accommodate the expected increase in passenger traffic while enhancing security procedures and facilitating seamless travel.