Amritsar airport lapse: Physical checks at transfer points as interim measure

Multiple officials aware of the matter said that additional checks are being carried out at transfer points to verify the nature of a passenger’s onward journey

Immigration Lapse and Interim Security Measure

The measure is being adopted as a precautionary step while a permanent solution is being worked out. (File photo)

The immigration lapse involving three Italian passengers who travelled from Amritsar to Munich via Delhi without obtaining mandatory departure immigration clearance on September 4 has prompted an interim security measure at Delhi airport.

Multiple officials aware of the matter said that additional checks are being carried out at transfer points to verify the nature of a passenger’s onward journey and ensure that those required to undergo immigration do not bypass the process.

“As part of the interim arrangement, airline staff have been directed to pay closer attention to the ‘I’ and ‘D’ indicators on boarding passes of transfer passengers,” one of the officials said.

The markings indicate whether a passenger is travelling on an international or domestic sector, and are being checked to ensure passengers are routed through the designated transfer process.

Besides, physical checks by the ground staff deployed in the transfer areas - from domestic to international flights - have also been stepped up, another officer said.

“All international transfer passengers’ boarding passes are being thoroughly checked to avoid a repeat of the September 4 lapse,” the second official said, adding that “all stakeholders including the ministries of home, civil aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Immigration (BOI), airport operators and airlines are deliberating on making the system foolproof.”

The move comes after the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) issued a show-cause notice to Air India on September 12 following concerns raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) over the incident.

The notice said the approved hub-and-spoke standard operating procedure (SOP) requires strict segregation of domestic and international passengers at the hub airport based on the “D” and “I” indicators on their boarding passes. It also states that only passengers carrying an “I” boarding pass should be directed to the international-to-international (I-to-I) transfer area.

According to the notice, the three passengers had been issued “D” boarding passes for the Amritsar-Delhi sector and an onward Lufthansa boarding pass at Amritsar. On arrival in Delhi, they were incorrectly escorted to the I-to-I transfer area instead of exiting through the designated Gate 39 in the immigration area and undergoing mandatory departure immigration clearance before boarding their Lufthansa flight to Munich.

The notice also flagged the issuance of the onward Lufthansa boarding pass at Amritsar, saying the approved hub-and-spoke SOP does not provide for such an onward boarding pass to be issued at the spoke airport. It further says the SOP provides for only two types of boarding passes, carrying “D” and “I” indicators, under the hub-and-spoke operation.

The ministry also asked Air India to explain why the prescribed segregation based on the boarding-pass indicator was not followed, why the passengers were escorted through the I-to-I transfer route and the role of Air India and SATS (the ground handling agency) personnel involved in handling them.

Union home secretary Govind Mohan had called a meeting after the incident to discuss the matter. This meeting, however, was postponed and is yet to be rescheduled.

The incident has raised concerns over the processes governing passengers travelling from airports designated as spokes under the government’s hub-and-spoke model to a hub airport before taking an international flight.

Under the model, passengers travelling to international destinations from designated spoke airports are required to complete immigration at the spoke before transferring to an international flight at the hub, while at the hub they are generally required to undergo security checks before boarding their onward international flight.