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Officials stressed that faster processing at Suvarnabhumi is important not only for tourism but also for the wider economy, as international visitors contribute to spending on hotels, tours, aviation, shopping, restaurants and transportation, The Nation Thailand newspaper reported.

The airport handles as many as 190,000 passengers a day during peak tourist seasons, compared with about 140,000 to 150,000 during quieter periods, Bangkok Post reported.

International arrivals average around 70,000 passengers daily.

However, immigration facilities face their greatest pressure between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., when arrivals can reach 5,000 to 6,000 passengers an hour.

To reduce the pressure, Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has approved in principle an expansion of its automated passport control system, known as auto gates.

Once the necessary approvals and signatures are completed later this month, passport holders from 31 additional countries will be able to use the automated lanes.

Authorities selected the nationalities selected on the basis of entry-refusal statistics, the Henley Passport Index, and legal and security considerations, said deputy government spokesperson Lalida Periswiwatana as quoted by Xinhua News Agency.

The list of these countries have not yet been revealed.

Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand is the second biggest airport in Southeast Asia by land area, covering approximately 3,520 hectares (35.2 square kilometers), after Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport.