Reduce commercial area at airports to boost security checkpoints: BCAS

Commercial area at Indian airports is being reduced to increase the number of security checkpoints in a bid to avoid congestion and ensure faster passenger flow, said Zulfiquar Hasan, director general, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), on Monday.

“The security area has been encroached on by commercialisation in certain airports. We have issued instructions to them to remove those incursions,” he said during a press briefing here on ‘Aviation Security Culture’.

Hasan said that the passenger flow during this year's festival season would be much better. “We are ensuring that the commercial area is reduced and the security area is increased. We should ensure the necessary number of security checkpoints at the time of expanding airports. This priority has been acknowledged by everyone and we are working in that direction,” he said.

Last December, major airports, such as Delhi and Mumbai, faced severe congestion amid the peak travel season, following which Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia intervened and asked these airports to rearrange arrivals and departures.

“What happened in December was because security checkpoints’ capacity was less than the number of passengers that were supposed to fly. Also, in the winter, people use more trays because they are wearing warm clothes. So, the solution was that we create more security lines, install more machines, and put in more manpower,” said the head of India's aviation security regulator.

 The BCAS argued that whatever space is needed for security checkpoints, it should be made available by the airport operator. “The rest of the space is with the airport operator to be used for commercial purposes. That is not our concern. Our concern is that there has to be sufficient area for security checkpoints. As the traffic increases, airport operators will have to increase the security area accordingly. You have to give space for that. The rest (commercial area, etc) will happen later,” Hasan noted.

Security checkpoints should have the same capacity as the number of flights for that hour otherwise security is compromised. “The security personnel cannot be pressured into doing it fast,” he said.

When contacted, a spokesperson for Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) said: “The newly inaugurated Terminal 2 has been designed, developed, and commissioned following consultation and approval from various regulatory authorities, including the BCAS. T2 and its related airside and landside infrastructure have been instrumental in augmenting the airport's overall passenger handling capacity by additional 25 million passengers per annum, thereby proactively addressing the potential congestion that might arise due to post-Covid travel boom during the upcoming travel season.”

The spokesperson further said: “With the commencement of international operations from T2 from September this year, T1 will undergo a comprehensive refurbishment providing us an opportunity to upgrade the existing systems, after which the facility will be used exclusively to cater to domestic operations.”

Airport operators such as Delhi International Airport Limited, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited, the Adani Group, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) did not respond to requests for statements sent by Business Standard.

Hasan said the civil aviation minister is conducting a meeting every Monday on the issue of ensuring quick passenger flow.

The BCAS earlier this month extended the deadline for using full-body scanners at major Indian airports from March 31 to December 31, 2023.

“Full-body scanners are very much necessary because it improves the security of airports. It can detect prohibited items better than the existing systems. It will be implemented in a phased manner. Some airports have given the orders. In the next 1-1.5 years, it will be implemented at major airports of the country,” Hasan mentioned.

He said that the BCAS has no plans as yet to extend the deadline any further even as there are certain issues related to procurement.

“Private airports, as well as the AAI are all on board with this mandate... Suddenly everyone is procuring these items from the same 2-3 vendors in the world. So, there are issues related to procurement cycles. The deadline remains but the issues related to the procurement cycles remain, and we are addressing them,” he added.

25K prohibited items in flyers’ bags daily: BCAS

About 25,000 prohibited items are being brought each day by air passengers in India, and this results in additional checks, which consume about three extra minutes per passenger at the airport, BCAS Director General Zulfiquar Hasan said on Monday. Overall, about 1,250 hours of security personnel are spent each day in India behind these additional checks. About 4.8 lakhs passengers travel by flight every day, Hasan said.