Tighter checks at Indian airports from 15 January

Tuesday, 4 January 2011 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Mumbai: Passengers taking flights from major international airports in the country can brace themselves for long security check queues as well as tight security checks as high alert will be sounded at the airports from 15-31 January.

Officials on Sunday said though the alert was sounded in the wake of Republic Day, security checks would be tightened.

As per instructions from the Union home ministry and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), cabin baggage will be manually checked before the security stamp is put, the officials said. Airlines have been instructed to conduct secondary ladder point checks for all destinations.

Though airlines do check passengers just before they enter the aircraft, but it is restricted to sensitive destinations like Srinagar, Kathmandu, or the US or the UK.

But due to the alert, airlines have been instructed to conduct these checks as often as they can as the threat component during the alert time is high, said a senior official at Delhi airport.

Central Industrial Security Force has also been instructed to conduct pat-down checks on passengers whose movements seem suspicious. “We’ve been in a state of high alert all these days. The alert is mainly because of the Republic Day, but it will remain till the end of the month,” said Jitender Negi, Senior Commandant, CISF, Mumbai.

CISF officials said the manpower would be increased in Mumbai airports and combing operations would be carried out in car parks.

While Jet Airways has already asked its passengers to arrive two hours before the flight scheduled departure due to heightened security measures, other airlines are also likely to do so, an official at Mumbai airport said.