Long queues at immigration counters and waiting for security checks at airports for international travellers may become a thing of the past if the government succeeds in introducing new technologies, including e-biometrics to speed up the process.
These problems, being faced by air travellers, came up for discussion at a high-level meeting, chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, with top officials of all major airport operators, Bureau of Immigration, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and his ministry. The meeting was called to discuss design models to speed up immigration and security for international travellers.
“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 microblogging site.
Authorities will also look at possible changes in the interior design of airports, cross utilisation of X-ray machines at domestic and international terminals. 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), CISF, Bureau of Immigration (BOI) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
The discussions 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 models 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 requirements 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, it was stated.
