‘Authorities will look at airport design changes’

New Delhi: To expedite immigration and security check processes at airports, authorities will look at possible changes in the interior design of airports, cross utilisation of X-ray machines at domestic and international terminals as well as use of new technologies, including e-biometrics.

At an advisory committee meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday, various plans were discussed to speed up immigration and security check processes for international passengers.

"We are currently discussing the design models to speed up immigration & security for international travellers. New technologies such as e-biometrics are also on the anvil and are currently being tested. These will be key in our vision for international aviation hubs in India," Scindia said in a post on X. The meeting was attended by representatives of airport operators, officials from the ministries of civil aviation, home and external affairs, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Immigration (BOI) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

The discussions also come at a time when efforts are being made to ease congestion at major airports, including at Delhi, during peak travel periods. During the meeting, there were discussions on the solutions derived from studying international airport model such as those of Singapore and Canada. According to an official release, authorities will explore the possibility of cross utilising XBIS (X-ray Baggage Inspection System) machines at the Delhi airport to ensure greater availability of machines and ensure lesser waiting time.

The idea is to move XBIS machines from domestic to international terminals when required as availability of more machines will help in making the check in process faster for the passengers. To ensure proper movement of machines from one place to another, changes in existing airport designs will be explored, an official said. With respect to deploying new technologies, the "proof of concept trials for use of e-gates and e-biometrics for immigration are already underway". Further, a thorough analysis has been undertaken with regard to manpower requirement of CISF and immigration officers. This analysis takes into account the planned expansion of existing as well as new airports, including those coming up in Jewar and Navi Mumbai, the release said.