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Govt overhauls airport transit system in hub-and-spoke model after lapse: Naidu
Naidu said the September 4 incident helped the ministry identify weaknesses in the system and a stronger ecosystem has subsequently been created
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The government has overhauled the airport security and transit protocols under the hub-and-spoke model following a security breach that allowed three passengers to bypass mandatory exit immigration checks, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday.
The hub-and-spoke aviation model was launched from Varanasi in July, a move aimed at allowing passengers from tier II and tier III cities to access international destinations through major Indian airports without having to repeat baggage and immigration formalities during transit. Later, the model was extended to Amritsar and Ahmedabad.
Naidu said the September 4 lapse, in which three Italian passengers of Indian origin arriving from Amritsar bypassed mandatory international departure immigration at Delhi before boarding a flight to Munich, highlighted specific vulnerabilities in the hub-and-spoke international transit framework.
“The incident has helped the ministry identify weaknesses in the system and a stronger ecosystem has subsequently been created,” Naidu said, adding that the ministry also revised the processes including how boarding cards are issued, the role of Digi Yatra and how passengers move through a connecting airport.
Naidu also said that Air India personnel found responsible for escorting the transfer passengers through designated airport pathways were immediately suspended following an internal probe but did not elaborate.
People familiar with the matter said the minister’s remarks about the suspension of two personnel referred to two personnel of a gateway services provider AISTATS, a joint venture between Air India Limited of the TATA Group and SATS Limited.
The people said additional checks were 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
Officials said the incoming flight from Amritsar had been significantly delayed which turned chaotic for transfer passengers on September 4. Also, the flight had a substantial number of transfer passengers who had to rush to the transfer zone. “Among those were the three Italian passengers of Indian origin of which two of them were on wheelchairs. The lapse occurred at this time,” an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Interim arrangement
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, an official 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.
The measure is being adopted as a precautionary step while a permanent solution is said to being worked out by the agencies concerned.
