Dublin Airport welcomes 20 self-service passport control machines

As of 8am this morning, passengers travelling through Dublin Airport can avail of new self-service passport control machines.

Following a trial period in April, the Department of Justice have confirmed that the e-Gates, which can be used by Irish and EU travellers over the age of 18 with e-Passports and Irish passport cards, are now in full operation.

The self-service machines, which rely on passport readers and facial recognition technology to allow entry into the country, have been installed in an effort to speed up the system and increase security in the airport.

Minister Charlie Flanagan believes the 20 new machines – 10 in each terminal – are a very welcome new addition.

"Following a very thorough pilot programme and competitive tender, I believe that we've found a solution that matches our goals and requirements."

" We look forward to working with Vision-Box, through the award of this framework agreement," he said after signing the contract in Augist of this year.

"The introduction of e-Gates will greatly enhance our immigration controls, including our border security, while at the same time providing an improved passenger experience," he added.

Looking to the future. the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service has confirmed that expansion is a possibility.

"Following the first phase of the project INIS will examine the scope for extending their use to non–EU passport holders, to allow easier entry for regular visitors such as business travellers."

The machines have been provided by Lisbon-based Vision-Box, in partnership with Accenture and ESP Global Systems.