MC EXCLUSIVE Govt plans to integrate biometrics, vehicle IDs of airport and airline employees with airport security passes

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) hosted a workshop in Delhi on making airport security more efficient and passenger-friendly. The "Functional Workshop of Airport Sector," held on June 27.

The central government is planning to launch a pilot project under which the airport security passes of employees working for airlines, airports, and ground handling companies will be linked with their vehicle registrations, biometrics and Aadhaar cards to ensure accountability and safety at airports across India.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are working with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to launch the pilot project at two airports — Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata and Chennai International Airport — by October, multiple officials aware of the ongoing discussions told Moneycontrol.

"The pilot project for the integrated airport security passes will be launched for a period of three months, following which the project will be rolled out across airports in India in a phased manner," a senior government official said.

As part of the pilot project, the entry passes issued to airport, airline, and ground-handling staff will be integrated with the biometrics of the employees, their vehicles’ high-security number plates, and the radio frequency identification-enabled FASTags. Employee biometrics will be verified with the biometrics linked to their Aadhaar cards to ensure proper identification.

The integration will help enhance security at the airports, improve protection of VIPs, hold unified training of personnel at the airport, while making air travel more seamless and passenger-friendly.

Last month, the CISF hosted a workshop in Delhi on making airport security more efficient and passenger-friendly. The 'Functional Workshop of Airport Sector', held on June 27, saw top CISF officials, airport security chiefs from 69 airports, and representatives from organisations like the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), AAI, and major airlines converge to discuss and strategise on improving airport security.

Proposed measures

Key takeaways include the integration of facial recognition technology with airport entry passes and CCTVs, which will potentially reduce queues and wait times at security checkpoints. Additionally, the digitisation of standard operating procedures will lead to smarter and quicker responses to security concerns.

There was also a suggestion to ensure a zoning system for airport entry passes (AEPs) holders, so that if someone was permitted access to only certain parts of airports, including the arrival hall, they could be restricted from going beyond that area with the help of technology along the lines of RFID (radio frequency identification), which could set off an alarm.

Airport entry passes are issued by the BCAS to various airport staff, while the CISF is responsible for checking their IDs at entry and exit points. Officials said integrating the airport entry passes with the facial recognition system will reduce queues at a number of airports where staffers and passengers use the same gate for entry, sometimes leading to confrontation as travellers question the delay in granting them entry into the facility for catching a flight.

Enhanced VIP security protocols were also a major point of discussion, including advanced anti-drone strategies and robust insider threat checks. The concept of "layered protection" will ensure the utmost safety for high-profile individuals while minimising the impact on general airport operations. Furthermore, the workshop reviewed the "passenger grievance redressal mechanism" with a focus on balancing customer expectations without compromising security.

Unified training

The agencies, during the workshop, also discussed measures to have "unified" training for all airport staff, from security personnel to airline crew, so that a consistent and professional experience is followed.

Joint exercises and regular reviews of security procedures ensure everyone is on the same page, leading to a more efficient and less confusing process for passengers, regardless of the airport, the CISF said in a statement on June 27.