Airports aim to become forts

Following the Mumbai terror attacks, airports across India have not only been put on high alert but have also been asked to make themselves “simply impregnable”. Samiran Saha reports.

If you are catching a flight out of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad or Kochi, make sure you show up at least two hours before take-off time, carry a valid identification proof and are prepared to be frisked up to five times before boarding.

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Following the Mumbai terror attacks, airports across India have not only been put on high alert but have also been asked to make themselves “simply impregnable”.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the paramilitary organisation guarding airports across India, has been put on alert, while the elite National Security Guard (NSG) has been put on standby.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the security planner for airports and air traffic, has also issued an advisory asking passengers to carry a valid identification proof and be prepared for thorough security checks. Airlines have been asked to increase the number of armed air marshals on board.

Security agencies have urged passengers to reach the airport well in time, instead of the earlier one hour, as the security checks will take longer than usual. The frisking will be done at multiple points, the last one being just before entering the aircraft — the “ladder-point checking”.