FASTag implemented at Kochi airport to improve parking system

Aiming to ensure speedy parking and payment of fees, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which operates Kerala's biggest and busiest airport at Nedumbassery near Kochi, recently introduced FASTag and Smart Parking System.
Passengers or customers without FASTag can pay at one of the six lanes at the parking gate of the airport and drive out, as a temporary measure. Private vehicles will continue to have free entry for 10 minutes and commercial vehicles will be charged Rs 60 as entry fee. The slots can also be booked in advance, CIAL in a press release. 

The airport said that with the introduction of 'cutting-edge technology', it aims to reduce waiting time at the entry-exit points to vehicle parking from approximately 2 minutes to an '8 seconds'.

A long-pending demand
CIAL claims its has a parking capacity for 2,800 vehicles, both at its domestic and international terminals. The FASTag system would be used for parking as well as entry to the airport. However, a lane dedicated to vehicles without FASTag (the an electronic toll collection system operated by the National Highways Authority of India) will be used temporarily, said CIAL.

“There has been a long-time demand both from local authorities and the police that the commercial taxi services, now parking on the roadside, to the airport, should be given parking facilities on the airport premises. "Because of this, additional parking space has been developed and a decision has been taken to collect entry fees from all taxis coming to the airport,” CIAL said in the release. For taxis, Rs 60 is the entry fee while the parking charge is Rs 80 for an hour (including the entry fee).

How does it work
According to CIAL, the key features of its 'FASTag and Smart Parking’ system will be a Parking Management System (PMS) aimed at streamlining parking operations for optimal efficiency as well as a Parking Guidance System (PGS) to ensure smooth navigation during entry-exit and inside the parking facility. “There is also a Parking Slot Counting System that features the ‘slot count’, that is it gives real-time updates on available parking spaces.

The Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) integrated with the ticketing system gives precise counting of the vehicle’s entry time. “In addition to this, there are pay-on-foot stations, the automatic mechanism for parking payment which can be operated by the passengers themselves. Passengers can book parking slots as per their convenience effortlessly through a customised mobile portal available through CIAL mobile application,” CIAL said. The parking management system is equipped with 900 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras strategically installed for meticulous oversight and efficient management, CIAL said in its release.