Passengers faced heavy congestion at immigration checkpoints at Phuket International Airport after a temporary system failure, officials confirmed on 29 March. The Immigration Bureau 2 (IB2) said the disruption caused delays during a peak departure period but denied claims that travellers were charged to access special lanes.
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According to Pol Col Phongthorn Pongratchatanan, deputy commander and IB2 spokesperson, the issue stemmed from a temporary malfunction in the immigration information system. The disruption occurred on 28 March between 08:55 and 13:40, coinciding with an unusually high volume of outbound flights and departing passengers.
During that period, 52 outbound flights carried approximately 8,500 passengers, far exceeding the immigration hall’s capacity of around 600 people at any one time. This led to long exit queues extending beyond the designated areas, as seen in widely shared images on social media.
Officials said staff immediately switched to offline processing in line with standard operating procedures (SOPs). Some steps in outbound passenger checks were reduced to speed up processing while maintaining security oversight.
Pol Col Ying Rassarin Theerapatthanakul, superintendent of Phuket Airport Immigration, deployed all available officers and opened all 18 operational counters. Some equipment was unavailable due to ongoing maintenance after prolonged use.
Despite the disruption, officers processed passengers at an average rate of no more than 33 seconds per person. Once the system was fully restored at 14:00, operations returned to normal promptly.
Authorities stressed that there was no truth to reports of a 200-baht fee being charged for access to special lanes. IB2 reaffirmed that all officers operate strictly within legal and regulatory frameworks and urged the public to report any suspected misconduct.
The bureau added that contingency plans for system failures are already in place to minimise disruption and maintain security standards. The incident will be reviewed to improve coordination, system resilience and equipment readiness.
Daily News reported that Phuket Airport and immigration authorities are working together to install Automated Border Control (ABC) systems. These are expected to enhance efficiency and convenience for both arriving and departing passengers in the near future.
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Adapted by ASEAN Dailynews 30 Mar 2026
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