Airport congestion: Operators told to allot more space for security check

The level of queuing, congestion, and missed flights at some airports is alarming. (Image credit: @karmanomad/Twitter)

The massive retail sprawl at India’s airports may be partially reined in to make space for enhanced facilities for security checks, including more gateways to frisk passengers and increased baggage screening capacities.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has asked airport operators to buy the latest equipment and allocate space as required for security checks, even if it means shrinking the space for retailers and losing some revenue, said a government official familiar with aviation safety matters.

Public outrage over serpentine, sluggish queues at New Delhi airport’s Terminal 3 appears to have prompted this action by the BCAS. After passengers complained about long queues and waiting hours, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia visited Delhi’s Terminal 3 on December 12 and held discussions with stakeholders on ways to address congestion at the airport.

Stakeholders acknowledged that more efforts need to go towards security and crowd management at terminals.

The BCAS also instructed Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) to start procuring additional scanning equipment, people aware of the matter told Moneycontrol. The latest requirements have been specified to the airport operator.

Growing market

There’s been a steady increase in the presence of retailers at most airport terminals over the years. While the number of air travellers has been rising, frisking and baggage screening capacities at airports have not kept pace, leading to congestion during peak hours.

India is one of the fastest-growing civil aviation regions in the world. Airlines carried 11.6 million passengers in November, a year-on-year increase of 11 percent, as the market recovered from the pandemic.

Read: Government’s efforts to decongest the Delhi airport

The regulator also proposed installing scanners based on computer tomography that provides a three-dimensional view of objects inside hand baggage. Such scanners, compared with those that currently provide a two-dimensional view, are expected to speed up security checks.

BCAS will test the scanning equipment that airport operators intend to install to ensure that they meet the specifications prescribed by the ministry.

“The new equipment that has been requested has better imaging and scanning, so travellers do not need to segregate laptops separately,” said a person privy to the development.

Faster security checks could result in travellers spending more time inside the airport before boarding, increasing the chances of shopping, the person said.