Flying to US? Get immigration clearance at Abu Dhabi airport - Financial Express

Waiting in long immigration queues after a 10-12 hour flight to the US may soon be a thing of the past. The US and UAE are close to concluding an agreement whereby US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials will operate a pre-clearance checkpoint at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Once the checkpoint becomes functional, flights from Abu Dhabi to the US will land at domestic terminals, without the need for further immigration and customs checks. Passengers could leave US airports just like domestic travellers. The agreement will come as good news for Indian passengers as they will have the option to avail of pre-clearance facility — for instance, by flying by Jet Airways to Abu Dhabi and taking the onward flight to the US. The Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet Airways is expected to use Abu Dhabi as a hub for international operations after Wednesday's announcement of a stake sale to Etihad Airways. The memorandum of understanding for increasing seats from India to Abu Dhabi has been signed by the Indian government and is awaiting clearance from the Union Cabinet. According to US media reports, the department of homeland security has reached an agreement with UAE on how to operate the checkpoint and outlined the facilities required at the Abu Dhabi airport. The CBP checkpoint is likely to come up at the new Midway Terminal of the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Incidentally, Jet Airways is expected to make use of the Midway Terminal for its hub. * Jet-Etihad deal will benefit flyers, ... contd. via Business - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHpE2nE3hGsF0UPxrL7A-Xlc_8PYg&url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/flying-to-us-get-immigration-clearance-at-abu-dhabi-airport/1107816

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