Pakistan managed more than 22.65 million international passenger movements throughout 2025, highlighting the extensive volume of cross-border travel via its airports. The official figures revealed that a total of 22,650,199 passenger movements were recorded during the year, including 11,097,240 arrivals and 11,552,959 departures.

On the specific day referenced in the report, the country’s international entry and exit points handled 51,517 passenger movements across 295 flights arriving and departing. Of these, six major airports accounted for 49,181 passenger movements and 285 flights, while other international points recorded 2,336 passenger movements and 10 flights.

In a significant development, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is set to enhance immigration processes by introducing greater automation and digital verification at immigration counters. FIA Additional Director General Immigration Nouman Siddiqui outlined that under the leadership of Director General Dr. Usman Anwar, a comprehensive strategy is underway to streamline travel for legitimate passengers while tightening controls against illegal travel and document fraud.

Siddiqui emphasized that the FIA aims to make immigration procedures faster, safer, and more convenient for genuine travelers. A central feature of this initiative is the pilot launch of automated e-gates. These e-gates will allow eligible travelers, such as work-permit holders and others with digitally verifiable credentials, to complete immigration formalities through automated systems.

The introduction of automated processing is expected to accelerate immigration clearance for qualified passengers by 70 to 80 percent. Additionally, the FIA is enhancing mechanisms to address passenger complaints and identify operational inefficiencies.

Simultaneously, the agency is expanding the use of advanced technology to detect counterfeit passports, fraudulent visas, and other suspicious travel documents, while maintaining efforts against human smuggling and illegal migration. Digital verification will facilitate quicker clearance for genuine travelers and early detection of forged documents.

Siddiqui noted that the broader modernization program includes e-gates, digital document verification, clearer procedural guidelines, improved passenger complaint systems, and strengthened coordination among agencies to ensure a more efficient and secure immigration process.